T-Mobile users recently discovered that after the release of Android15Beta2, a previously hidden satellite messaging page on the device has been published.

According to a report by the Android Authority, users in T-Mobile's Reddit community have reported that the "Satellite Messaging" feature is now available. Erichola, a Reddit user for T-Mobile's Magenta plan, shared a screenshot of pixel7 showing that satellite messaging was included in the account. Another Redditor, Jonathan3579, also reported the same on Pixel8Pro, which was subscribed to the "Converted SWAC (Sprint Wireless Advantage Club)" plan.

Satellite communications have been rumored to be part of Android15 for some time, alluding to this feature as a line of code was found in Google messages. T-Mobile also announced that it is working with Space X to release satellite communications to Lte-enabled phones, and that connectivity will be seen later this year.

Satellite communications are difficult to implement on phones because special hardware needs to work. There are options, but they are additional costs that hardware developers may not always afford. Part of this increased cost is due to the lack of industry standards for connectivity, and hardware vendors are creating their own solutions. 

However, this feature is still working with a particular focus on SOS services. For example, Apple released an SOS satellite service for iPhone14 aimed at helping people in areas without signal reception, while Google was working on a similar feature. Android15 also allows users to share their location on Google Maps via satellite instead of via WiFi.

The T-Mobile version is reportedly less specific and will allow users to send text to anyone. This is a great idea, but note that this feature has not yet been officially released, so it's unlikely anyone will be able to send a message.

For more news about what will happen with the next Android update, check out the android15 hub.