Android users could soon get one of the iPhone's best security features

We probably all agree that staying somewhere in the wilderness without a signal is a real nightmare, right? In such and similar cases, Apple's iPhones have been able to connect to a satellite signal for quite some time, which enables emergency calls. According to the Tech Radar portal, Android users should soon get a similar feature.

Online technology portal Android Authority managed to get hold of code that suggests that Google is preparing satellite emergency communication. The code for Android 15 Beta version 4 contained the word “Pixel Satellite SOS.” The name alone confirms that this is a new safety feature that could save Android users in crisis situations.

Of course, this is not something new in the mobile phone market, as mentioned, iPhones already allow this, but this is the first time that a name like “Pixel Satellite SOS” has appeared in the code in a very specific way. Research by the Android Authority portal also showed that Google could offer the new feature to users for free for the first two years after its introduction.

Interestingly, this two-year term is subject to change. In the code discovered by Android Authority, the term is written in parentheses, which could potentially mean that the term could change. On the other hand, it's worth noting that Apple offers two years of Emergency SOS to all iPhone 14 users or newer, so Google would be directly competing with its biggest rival in the mobile phone industry by matching the offer.

A new feature already next month?

Given that the Google Pixel 9 is slated to launch on August 13th, and that the phone in question is expected to ship with Android 15, this device is a prime candidate for the announced security feature.

In addition, the code contains the following text: “Your Pixel has been updated to support satellite communications."This suggests that older Pixel models could potentially get the feature, although satellite communications require special hardware, something Android Authority doesn't believe is present in older models. Instead, "updated" could refer to an upcoming "Pixel Feature Drop" that would bring satellite communications to the Pixel 9 at some point in the future.

Of course, this is all assuming that Google actually decides to roll out this feature. Since it's only been spotted in beta code so far, there's a chance it won't make it to the final Android release. But given the success stories that have come from Apple's SOS feature, it makes sense that Google would want to offer Android fans something similar.