Satellite texting may come to Android, with a big leg up over iPhone

Ever since the launch of iPhone 14, Apple has supported satellite text messaging for emergency situations. It sounds like the competition will get an even better version of that soon.

In a teardown of a new beta version of Android 15, 9to5Google found some text strings that give us an idea of how satellite messaging might work. The feature was first uncovered in beta builds last month, but now we have more information about what to expect from it. The text strings include:

• "You can message with anyone, including emergency services"

• "To send and receive, stay outside with a clear view of the sky"

• "Satellite messaging may take longer and can’t include photos & videos"

How Android satellite texting may beat iPhone

The latter two text strings in that list are predictable enough — and more or less reflect what the satellite texting experience is like on iPhone. The first one, however, is a bit of a doozy. On iPhone, you can only message emergency services via satellite. On Android, you might be able to text anyone, if this feature rolls out in this state.

Google has yet to officially announce satellite texting for Android, but it might not be long now. Google I/O, the company's annual software-focused conference, is right around the corner in May.