Google Pixel 9: Innovative Satellite SOS Emergency Feature

Pixel 9's Satellite SOS service enables emergency communication without cellular coverage, enhancing user safety in remote areas.

### Google Pixel 9 Introduces Satellite SOS: A Game-Changer for Emergency Connectivity
* 📱 The Google Pixel 9 features a new **Satellite SOS service** that allows users to **contact emergency services** when out of mobile network and Wi-Fi range.
* 🛰 To demonstrate this, a shielded box was used to eliminate radio signals, allowing the phone to **connect to a satellite only when dialing 911**.
* 👩 ‍💻 Product managers Stephanie Scott and Aisha Sharie explained that the process involves two simple steps: **connecting to a satellite** and **communicating emergency information through an onscreen survey**.
* 🚨 During the demo, the phone successfully **connected to a satellite**, prompting the user to fill out a questionnaire about the emergency, which could also **notify emergency contacts**.
* 🌍 Garmin Response is the service that receives SOS messages sent over satellite, providing **24-hour support** to triage emergencies and contact local services.
* 🔧 The Satellite SOS feature is currently exclusive to the Pixel 9 series, utilizing **unique hardware and modems capable of satellite connectivity**, free for the **first two years**.
* 🚀 Other tech companies, including Apple and T-Mobile, are also developing similar satellite emergency services, indicating a **growing trend in smartphone safety features**.
* 💬 The author encourages viewers to **share their thoughts on satellite safety features** and their experiences with **emergency connectivity** in the comments.

hi I'm here at Google, and I'm here to test out the Pixel 9's new satellite SOS service. This strange device here is going to help me. It's not a panini press; it's actually a shielded box to kill all the radio signals. So, in order to get it to work, I have to close this in order for it to dial a satellite. Before we get back to my demo of satellite SOS, let's look at what it is and why it's significant. Satellite SOS lets Pixel 9 owners contact emergency services when they're out of range of mobile networks and Wi-Fi. And to help me understand more about it, I talked with Stephanie Scott and Isa Sharie from Google's Pixel phone team. I'm Aisha Sharie; I'm a product manager of Pixel software. I'm Stephanie; I'm a product manager on the hardware team at Google, and I make Pixel phones. Satellite SOS is part of our suite of safety features. We're excited to introduce this one with our Pixel 9 phone. It allows you

to connect with Emergency Services, even if you're in a place without service, there's really two simple steps. The first is connection, and so you want to be able to first connect to that satellite. It's super easy. If you're out of range, you dial 911, and you're going to be prompted right on the screen to connect and make this satellite connection. The second step is communicating the information that you might be wanting to communicate during an emergency, and so it'll actually prompt you through an onscreen survey to describe a little bit about what's going on so it can send that information in your location back up to the satellite. And then, depending on um what's going on, you may have a few back-and-forth messages with emergency services. So, with those basics out of the way, let's go back to my satellite SOS demo. Obviously, in real life, people aren't going to have their phone in the box connected to a PC. We're doing this so we don't accidentally call 911 with the phone inside this box. Here, I can't get to it. I

can't see the screen, so we have this cable coming out connected to a PC that lets me see the screen here. And if we look on the top right, I don't have any cellular signal. In fact, my icon has been replaced with an icon of a satellite, meaning I can connect to that. But in order to actually connect to the satellite, I have to trigger it by calling 911. Let's give it a call, see what happens. Pixel phone is trying to call 911. It's trying to reach it, um, and when it fails, it will give me the option to connect to a satellite. So if you look at the bottom of the dialer, we see there's a new button. It says satellite SOS. I tap that, and now I'm able to actually connect to the satellite. So we're going to take the phone out of the box since we know we're not actually going to call Emergency Services. I now have a question. I'm going to fill out this will be sent to Emergency Services. It wants to know if I have an illness or

injury vehicle or vessel. Uh, if I'm lost, missing, or trapped, if there's a crime going, fire, or something else, let's tap fire. It says, Is anyone injured or in immediate danger? I'm going to say no. What's going on? Is it a forest brush or grass building? I'm going to say a building fire. And now I have the option to not only send this questionnaire that I filled out to emergency responders, but also to my emergency contacts so they know what's going on. I'm going to hit notify, and now here comes the fun part. I have to connect to the satellite. Uh, I'm have some buildings behind me and trees, so I'm going to move the phone. So, a few things you might be hearing, some Chimes. Uh, that's it prompting me to move it because I'm slightly near building. I'm going to get away from this and get a better Vantage, tilt down to Center, keeping phone. Now I have green. It means I'm connected to a satellite, a satellite that's flying by at tens of thousands of

miles an hour is now connected to my phone. A popup window shows my connectivity to the satellite, so if I need to reposition it, I can move my hand back and forth. I also have a thread going on with the responders called Garmin response. Since this is not an actual emergency, I'm going to let them know that. Please don't respond. So it's now being sent from my phone to the satellite, and I should hear back a moment here. It was sent. There we go. Going through the demo was really enlightening. I'm impressed with how straightforward it all is. And what's great is if you're a Pixel 9 owner, you don't need to know anything about this feature to use it because it all gets triggered by attempting a 911 call. The moment you try to dial 911 when you're in a place without service, we already get that prompt. So we try to make it super easy and accessible for users to find this in those times where you need it most. I know we're already starting to get

inbound stories from users that have been able to use the feature successfully, which is really awesome because we're trying to build that in to help people. For myself, I actually enjoy knowing that it's there when I'm doing things like going hiking, especially in coastal areas where you don't always have great reception. Having that extra layer of security or backup for yourself is really nice. During my demo, you may have noticed the name Garmin response pop up. I asked Stephanie about this. Garmin response is the one that's on the receiving end for the Emergency SOS message that gets sent over satellite. They have 24-hour answering services that really help triage through the problems and contact emergency services. Garmin response isn't the only partner Google had for the service. Satellite SOS uses satellite service provider Skylo to place these emergency calls. Now, currently, satellite SOS is limited to the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold. And it turns out there's

some unique hardware in the phones that makes all this work. So, the hardware is definitely enabled to provide this. So, we definitely, the modem is capable of helping provide this, as well as having specific bands, cellular bands, to support this Google satellite SOS service. It's free for the first two years, but the company didn't share how much it would cost after two years, nor if it would be more broadly available to other Android phones if they have the included hardware needed for satellite connectivity. As a tech journalist, it's wonderful to see safety features like satellite connectivity come to Pixel phones and beyond Google. There's Apple, who offers a similar service for the iPhone, and carriers are now starting to get into the satellite game too. T-Mobile, which is working with SpaceX on their own version of satellite connectivity for emergency notifications, temporarily turned on its service prior to Hurricane Milton. These are still the early days for smartphone satellite connectivity, but the feature is already helping people, and it will likely only get more robust over time. But now I want

to hear from you. Do you look for safety features like satellite SOS when buying a phone? Have you ever used it or Apple's version to contact emergency services? Let me know in the comments. Lastly, if you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up, and thank you for watching.

I Tried Google's Satellite SOS for the Pixel 9

CNET is the premier destination for explaining and navigating the changing world around us. Through news, product reviews, price comparisons, and more, we’ll tell you what’s new in the parts of modern life that increasingly matter more — from health, home, and money to tech, culture, and climate — and how to get the most out of them.

CNET

The Pixel 9's new Satellite SOS service allows users to contact emergency services when out of range of mobile networks and Wi-Fi.

The process involves two simple steps: connecting to the satellite by dialing 911 and then communicating emergency information through an onscreen survey.

The service aims to provide a lifeline in emergencies, even in remote areas with no signal.

Connecting to Satellite Emergency Services

The phone has no cellular signal and is using a satellite icon for connectivity.

Calling 911 triggers the option to connect to the satellite.

After filling out a questionnaire for emergency services, the user is prompted to move the phone for a better satellite connection, eventually achieving a green signal indicating a successful connection.

Google's Satellite SOS Feature for Pixel 9

Google's Satellite SOS feature for the Pixel 9 series offers emergency assistance by connecting to satellites when there's no service.

The feature is triggered by attempting to dial 911 and is designed to be straightforward and accessible for users.

Garmin Response and Skylo are the partners providing 24-hour support and placing emergency calls through the service.

The Role of Hardware in Smartphone Satellite Connectivity

Smartphones are now equipped with unique hardware, including capable modems and specific cellular bands, to support Google’s satellite SOS service.

The service is free for the first two years, with no information on future costs or broader availability for other Android phones.

Other companies, like Apple and T-Mobile, are also entering the satellite connectivity space for emergency notifications, making this feature increasingly important for smartphone users.