Qualcomm is making another attempt to integrate satellite communications into Android phones, and this time Google is on board. Android 15 will support alien messages.

In February, Qualcomm launched a new smartphone modem: the Snapdragon x80. This chip supports satellite communications and, unlike the manufacturer’s previous attempts, is not tied to a specific provider. The hardware platform for a news service via artificial satellites is now ready and now the software follows. The latest preview of Android 15 is compatible with satellite communications.

Apple was a pioneer and introduced emergency notifications via satellite with the iPhone 14 in 2022. The functionality is not as relevant in densely populated Belgium, but can save lives in sparsely populated areas. For example, a hiker who has an accident in a nature reserve without satellite reception can call for help.

Open system

Similar functionality on Android was not available for the time being. There are mutliple reasons for this. It was only last year that Qualcomm developed the necessary hardware for the first time, but brought the capacities onto the market in collaboration with Iridium. This closed ecosystem might not be attractive to phone makers. The new trial with the X80 router has begun. Now that Android 15 offers software support, there is one final step: the actual offering. Apple covers the costs of an emergency SMS for its users, because alien messages are of course not free. There is no concrete implementation for Android yet.

All tools are now available to providers. A manufacturer can certainly offer a service like Apple, but external providers such as Iridium or SpaceX can also come up with their own offer.