There’s a good chance your next Android phone will support Qualcomm’s two-way satellite text messaging service, as the chip maker has announced support from six major phone manufacturers.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite service is designed to let you text your contacts when you’re off the grid in remote locations with no network coverage. And we recently learned that Honor, Motorola, Wala, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are all on board to make phones that support it.
A notable absentee from that list is the world’s largest Android phone brand, Samsung. That’s because Samsung recently announced its own network modem that will allow two-way communication between phones and satellites. The Samsung Galaxy S23 is expected to support Qualcomm’s Snapdragon satellite tech, but it is surprisingly missing from the phone.
The reason for that omission seems to be the race now to offer the Android equivalent of the iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature. Unlike Apple’s system, Qualcomm’s tech uses the Iridium satellite network, and promises to be useful for more than just an emergency on hiking trips – Qualcomm suggests it can also be used for “recreational” purposes. in remote areas, and for contacting family and friends when you don’t have a signal.
It’s not yet clear when we’ll see the first phones that support Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite, but it shouldn’t be long – Qualcomm says it will come to 5G devices with Snapdragon 8 or Snapdragon 4 chips, which means which it ‘ Initially limited to premium and mid-tier phones.
Interestingly, Qualcomm also says that Snapdragon Satellite will come to “other device categories in computing, automotive and IoT segments”, which means we can expect to see support for it in future laptops, cars and more .
Analysis: Lift-off for satellite text messaging
Satellite messaging has been one of the hottest topics at the MWC 2023 show this week (which you can follow on our MWC 2023 live blog). And this announcement by Qualcomm shows that this will be one of the major features of your next Android phone – even if Samsung appears to be taking its own route.
Motorola stole Qualcomm’s thunder last week by announcing the Motorola Defy 2, a rugged Android phone that delivers two-way satellite messaging using a different service called Bullitt Satellite Messenger. It also announced the Defy Satellite Link (pictured above), a Bluetooth fob that brings service to older Android phones and iPhones, too.
But while Qualcomm and Bullitt’s satellite messaging services broadly promise the same service – two-way messaging in remote areas – they are based on different networks and work in different ways. While Qualcomm promises that the Snapdragon Satellite will “offer truly global coverage from pole to pole” (as long as you can see the open sky), the Bullitt’s satellite coverage is somewhat limited.
Qualcomm’s service will also integrate SMS text messaging with Android phones, rather than requiring a separate app. But what we don’t know yet is how much the Snapdragon Satellite will cost. Bullitt Satellite Messenger gives us a ballpark figure, though: $4.99/£4.99 per month (about AU$9) for the ability to send 30 two-way messages, plus access to SOS assistance its service.
Both Qualcomm and Bullitt’s services are more versatile than Apple’s Emergency SOS, and we expect to see the first Snapdragon Satellite Android phones later this year. While satellite text messaging remains a relatively niche segment today, it will be interesting to see how Apple and Samsung respond.