We’ve been waiting for years for satellite connectivity to make it into Android phones, after Apple added it to the iPhone 14 in September 2022 – and the signs are that selected Samsung Galaxy phones could be getting the upgrade in the near future.
Some code digging by the team at Android Authority has revealed references to “satellite mode” and “emergency texts via satellite” in the Emergency SOS, Messages, and Phone apps that Samsung develops, which seems like a pretty big hint.
We don’t know when the code might be enabled, or which phones will be able to communicate with satellites, but it does seem that a launch is now imminent. With Android 15 due later this year, that could be the moment – though Samsung’s own One UI 7 version of Google‘s software will take more time to show up.
It’ll be no surprise when the feature does make an appearance: Samsung won’t like lagging behind Apple in any feature category, and satellite connectivity for the last two Galaxy flagships has been extensively rumored, though it’s yet to appear.
The leaks and rumors so far
Last October, Samsung’s Park Yong-in promised two-way satellite connectivity for Galaxy phones sometime in 2024, but it didn’t show up with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
It’s possible that a software update will unlock the functionality on some or all of those devices. Satellite messaging has been strongly rumored for Android 15 (as it was for Android 14, by the way), and the software is now in the developer beta stage.
There might even be a feature that beats the iPhone offering: satellite messaging in any app, so it wouldn’t just be for emergency communications. There isn’t going to be enough bandwidth for you to stream Netflix out in the wilderness, but you could at least ping a loved one back at home if you get lost.
We’ve also seen satellite options appearing on Google Pixel phones already, though they don’t actually do anything yet – all of which points towards satellite messaging for Android handsets, including Galaxy phones, arriving in the next few months.
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