Google will turn our smartphones into satellite phones. A worthy answer to Apple’s solution

Google may be preparing a small revolution on Android smartphones that will help us call for help almost anywhere on Earth. According to unofficial reports that appeared on X (Twitter), the company is working on the possibility of sending SMS via satellite.

Google will make a satellite phone out of smartphones

In the code of the Messages application, which is used in Android smartphones to send and receive text messages, traces have been found that confirm new reports on this subject. The idea is to send an SOS message over a satellite link, without the need to connect to a mobile network and Wi-Fi. Thanks to this solution, it will be possible to call emergency services even from places where our smartphones have no range.

According to reports, Google was to establish cooperation with Garmin, which specializes in the production of GPS receivers and m. fitness bands for athletes. The California giant will therefore use the existing Garmin Response infrastructure to alert emergency services.

As we can learn from the Garmin website, the function works in over 150 countries on all continents and allows you to send an SOS alert in the mountains, in the desert or simply in places where there is no coverage. This will be a significant advantage of Google’s solution over a similar function that Apple offers to owners of iPhone 14. This, however, works only in 13 countries in the world – in the USA, Canada, New Zealand and several Western European countries.

Google admitted some time ago that the Messages app will be equipped with a feature that will be a response to Apple’s move. It is to appear with the premiere of the upcoming Android 14 system, which should start appearing on the first smartphones in a few months. Possible cooperation with Garmin has not been confirmed by Google, so some information about this function will probably appear with the premiere of the new system, i.e. soon.