Qualcomm takes on Apple with new satellite that lets Android users text off the grid - The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego’s Qualcomm unveiled its latest innovation that volition let Android smartphone users to nonstop a text, adjacent if they don’t person a cellular signal.

The caller diagnostic is akin to — and successful immoderate ways much almighty than — Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite.

Qualcomm has partnered with outer supplier Iridium to motorboat the Snapdragon Satellite, the institution announced connected Thursday astatine CES successful Las Vegas. Instead of relying connected infrastructure connected earth, the outer successful abstraction would grow planetary connectivity for next-generation Android phones aboriginal this year.

Garmin, a institution that makes GPS-enabled technology, volition besides collaborate connected the exigency messaging functionality. The texting diagnostic volition beryllium disposable successful phones that person some Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and its X70 Modem system.

Qualcomm said instrumentality manufacturers and app developers volition besides beryllium capable to instrumentality vantage of the increasing satellite-connected web successful the future.

The existent absorption is connected sending substance messages from cellphones — arsenic calling oregon sending images requires much bandwidth — but Qualcomm said it plans to grow to different Internet-enabled devices specified arsenic laptops, tablets and vehicles.

The thought is for radical to beryllium capable to nonstop a substance connection adjacent if they don’t person a cellphone awesome successful the mediate of the water oregon successful an exigency situation. After typing retired a message, the app whitethorn usher the idiosyncratic to constituent their telephone successful the absorption of a outer successful the sky.

This is made imaginable by a fleet of Iridium satellites orbiting the world and the telephone volition prime up the astir almighty signal, a spokesperson for Qualcomm said.

At the extremity of past year, Apple launched its outer exigency SOS diagnostic connected iPhone 14’s that allows users to interaction exigency services. At this time, Apple does not enactment two-way substance messaging to immoderate telephone interaction via satellite. The SOS diagnostic is escaped for the archetypal 2 years aft activating the iPhone, but it’s not wide however overmuch it could outgo aft this period.

While Qualcomm’s exertion volition rotation retired months aft Apple, it does person an borderline successful offering two-way substance messaging to anyone successful summation to exigency messages.

A spokesperson for Qualcomm said it volition beryllium up to the manufacturers of the devices and work providers to find pricing aft this exertion debuts successful the 2nd fractional of 2023.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Francesco Grilli, Qualcomm’s vice president of merchandise absorption said that users tin expect exigency communications to beryllium “very debased outgo oregon nary cost.”

For satellite-enabled connection devices presently connected the market, similar the Garmin inReach Mini, it costs astir $350 positive a monthly subscription fee. Adding this exertion into smartphones would broaden its scope arsenic these kinds of two-way connection devices are typically utilized by hikers.