Google’s Pixel 9 phones are the first to get Satellite SOS for Android

Google is following Apple in launching a way to use your phone to communicate via satellite in an emergency. At its big Pixel 9 reveal event on Tuesday, the company shared details of Satellite SOS, which will let you contact emergency responders and share your location when you don’t have cell service.

The new Pixel 9 lineup will be the first to be able to use Satellite SOS, Google’s Brian Rakowski said onstage. (Google has partnered with Skylo for the feature.) The feature will first launch in the U.S. “regardless of your carrier plan,” Rakowski said, though it won’t be available in Hawaii and Alaska, according to a support page. According to the fine print displayed during Google’s livestream, the service will be included “at no additional cost for the first two years after device activation.”

A blog post from Rakowski states that the feature will be free for the first two years “on Pixel.” There’s no word yet on when it’ll be available on other Android phones. Still, it’s nice to see Google bringing this feature to Android, especially after Qualcomm failed to launch its own satellite SOS feature.

Apple launched its satellite service, Emergency SOS, in November 2022. Last year, it announced that iPhone 14 owners would get an additional year of free coverage, meaning iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users will have to decide whether to pay for the service starting in November 2025.

Updated August 13:Added details on Skylo partnership and two states where Satellite SOS will not work.