Snapdragon Satellite, Android's supposed rival to the iPhone's emergency SOS feature via satellite, has been terminated by Qualcomm, the maker of the Snapdragon chips that power the best Android phones, and satellite communications company Iridium According to the company, it will be terminated

According to Iridium's press release, the satellite service will officially end on December 3, 2023, which is a very sudden death since Snapdragon Satellite was just announced at CES in January 2023

Satellite communications on regular smartphones first appeared in the iPhone 14 series and continued in this year's iPhone 15 models Apple's "Emergency SOS via Satellite" feature, as the name implies, is intended as a way to send the user's location to emergency services or, in the case of the iPhone 15, to breakdown repair services

While we were not able to try Snapdragon Satellite, it was said to provide regular SMS communication via satellite along with emergency alerts This would allow users to keep in touch with people in places where there is no regular cellular signal, without raising an alarm, which is not possible with the iPhone 14 or iPhone 15

Iridium suggests that the partnership with Qualcomm ended because cell phone manufacturers have not implemented this technology, despite promises by Motorola, Nothing, and several other Chinese cell phone brands to offer this feature in their upcoming phones

According to Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium, quoted in Iridium's press release: "Qualcomm and Iridium have successfully developed and demonstrated this technology, but despite the technical success, smartphone manufacturers have not implemented this technology in their handsets

It is odd that these companies did not keep their promises, especially when it would have meant getting ahead of larger rivals like Samsung and Google In a statement to CNBC, Qualcomm said that handset makers "prefer standards-based solutions," suggesting that by implementing satellite services tied directly to Qualcomm's chips, one of its key component partners would have even greater influence over the devices suggesting that they may not have wanted to do so

This is perhaps not the end of satellite communications for the Android dream Iridium also announced as part of the statement that with the termination of the agreement, "we will be free to re-engage directly with smartphone OEMs, other chipmakers, and smartphone operating system developers with whom we previously collaborated" Qualcomm also said: in a statement to CNBC, Qualcomm also said, "We will continue to work with Iridium on standards-based solutions"

In addition to these two specific companies, there are other companies looking at this technology One example is the Motorola Defy Satellite Link accessory, which provides satellite SOS and two-way messaging to any device via Bluetooth There are also rumors that Google Messages will provide support for the Garmin Response network, serving a similar safety purpose

Those who want the security of satellite communications in an emergency would have to choose a new iPhone model over an Android phone However, one can hope that satellite communication capabilities will be included in Android in the near future