At Tuesday's Made By Google event, we got our first official look at the new Pixel 9 series of phones. While they have some hardware upgrades over last year's Pixel 8, Google spent far more time explaining all the ways its Gemini chat AI assistant could be used in day-to-day life. The company barely mentioned another new feature in the Pixel 9 phones that could save people's lives: Satellite SOS, which lets users contact emergency services when they are out of range of mobile networks and Wi-Fi.
As a rival to Apple's Emergency SOS (which works only with iPhones), Satellite SOS works similarly: when out of signal range, users can tap the Satellite SOS button to fill out a questionnaire describing their calamity and get connected with an emergency service provider for back-and-forth text exchanges. They can also optionally notify their emergency contacts. As with Apple's satellite solution, Google Satellite SOS works regardless of which carrier a user has signed up with.
There are a few big caveats to Satellite SOS. Right now, it's available only on the Pixel 9 series of phones and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It works only in the continental US (sorry, Hawaii and Alaska) for now. And you need to have Google Messages selected as your default messaging app -- if it's not, you'll be notified that Satellite SOS is no longer available, according to a Google blog post.
A Pixel 9 screen showing Satellite SOS.
Google/Screenshot by James Martin/CNETSatellite SOS uses satellite service provider Skylo to place these emergency calls. Skylo says it has partnerships with multiple satellite partners worldwide and worked with the Google and Android teams for a "direct-to-device" satellite connectivity experience, according to the company's press release. This concierge-like service seems like it will be similar to how Apple has set up its Emergency SOS service to handle the connectivity on the back end so that users in crisis have only to worry about sending and receiving messages to emergency services.
But like Apple's solution, Google still hasn't answered some basic questions about Satellite SOS. Google promises only two years of Satellite SOS, but doesn't say how much it will cost thereafter -- much like Apple, which also offered two years of free satellite service before quietly giving users an additional year for free without explaining how users can pay for it thereafter. Google also hasn't explained whether other Pixel or non-Pixel Android phones will be able to use Satellite SOS going forward or which areas beyond the continental US will get support for the service in the future.
Skylo is an interesting partner for Google to choose. The company is no stranger to linking its satellite services to consumer devices, as it partnered with rugged phone-maker Bullitt in early 2023 to link its Motorola Defy 2 handset (known as the Cat S75 elsewhere) and standalone dongle to the satellite networks Skylo leases. With Apple partnering with satellite network company Globalstar for Emergency SOS and satellite network company Iridium pitching its own phone connectivity option after ending its deal to link up Qualcomm's Snapdragon Satellite feature, satellite connectivity has been in flux.
Google's new Satellite SOS feature has reignited competition with Apple's Emergency SOS, though for only a few phones at first. It remains to be seen how much longer iPhone owners will hold the edge in mainstream satellite connectivity.
New Pixel 9 owners can try out the Satellite SOS feature as a demo even if they're in range of a cell network. Just open Settings > Safety & Emergency > Satellite SOS and follow the demo instructions, according to Google's blog post.
Watch this: Everything Announced at Google's Pixel Gemini Event
08:32