Qualcomm to bring Apple’s satellite messaging feature to Android devices

One thing to stay up for: When Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 final fall, its signature characteristic was a satellite-based communication service for emergency calls past the attain of wi-fi networks. At CES this week, Qualcomm introduced plans to deliver comparable performance to future Android telephones.

Premium Android smartphones based mostly on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Cellular Platform will achieve entry to a satellite-based two-way messaging system in sure areas beginning within the second half of this 12 months. The corporate made the announcement this week at CES 2023.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc is a response to the Emergency SOS system Apple launched final 12 months for the iPhone 14. By way of a community of satellites and floor relay stations Apple helped fund, iPhone 14 customers touring exterior conventional wi-fi community vary can transmit their areas in the event that they change into misplaced.

The system works by directing customers to level their telephones towards a satellite tv for pc which is able to then relay to a floor station and the suitable emergency providers. Emergency SOS is paid, however newly bought iPhones embody a free two-year subscription. It is not clear whether or not customers might want to pay for Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc. T-Cellular introduced an identical characteristic utilizing Starlink final summer time, supporting SMS, MMS, and collaborating messaging apps.

Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc will use Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Programs in live performance with the Iridium satellite tv for pc constellation’s weather-resistant L-band spectrum. Apple’s system makes use of the L and S-band, which ITU Radio Laws designated for cellular satellite tv for pc communication. The Qualcomm counterpart will assist 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks as they change into out there.

Along with emergency providers, Qualcomm intends to make use of Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc for SMS texting and different leisure {and professional} functions, permitting OEMs and third-party builders to construct software program leveraging it. The 2-way communication system will ultimately come to gadgets apart from smartphones, like tablets, laptops, autos, and IoT gadgets.

Qualcomm revealed Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 final November as a brand new chip platform to energy the most recent flagship Android telephones. The SoC’s 4nm-based Kryo CPU incorporates a 3.2GHz core, 4 2.8GHz cores, and three 2.0GHz cores. The Adreno GPU helps Vulkan 1.3, OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 FP, Unreal Engine 5, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Presently-available fashions with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 embody the Xiaomi 13 collection, Moto X40, and Vivo X90 Professional+, whereas extra are on the best way from Asus, OnePlus, and Sony. Qualcomm hasn’t revealed exactly which telephones would first obtain Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc.