Apple brought satellite communications to the masses with emergency SOS via satellite, and Google looks to follow suit with Android 15 and future Pixel phones Samsung appears to be preparing to bring similar functionality to Galaxy phones, starting with the Galaxy S25

Android Authority has been diving into various Samsung apps over the past few months, anticipating that Samsung would follow Apple and Google's lead That work appears to have paid off, as strings related to satellite communications have appeared in Samsung's Emergency SOS, Messages, and Phone apps

The new text in the Emergency SOS app mentions satellite messaging and explains how a connection to a satellite works - ie, calling emergency services when there is no cell signal The app also includes a string warning that they are in satellite mode, while explaining that they can also send and receive text messages However, the only mention of emergency calls relates to connecting to a cell tower if they are still in range

Oddly, Samsung Messages has a text claiming that the app does not support satellite messaging Instead, users are directed toward Google Messages, which suggests that Samsung's satellite communication system may be linked to Google's own system

That is, unless Samsung supports two competing systems This would not be the first time the company has done something like this, but never before has it been this serious In a life-or-death situation, confusion about how to get help is the last thing you want

It appears that Samsung is still in the early stages of laying the groundwork for satellite connectivity in cell phones That means that what we are seeing could easily be incomplete or could change in the future, and we cannot pass judgment until we get a better picture of what Samsung is planning

However, it is good to know that Samsung is planning satellite connectivity Google may handle some of the software requirements for Android 15, but it still depends on phone manufacturers adding the necessary hardware to communicate with satellites

Given that Samsung is the dominant Android phone brand, adding its hardware means that this life-saving feature is within reach of even more people Not to mention that rival platforms will follow Samsung's lead

The question is, when will we see it? Given that the Samsung Galaxy S25 launch is six months away and Samsung is already preparing something satellite-based, it would be a great time to announce it But we will just have to wait and see