Android smartphones may get emergency satellite messaging thanks to Garmin
Rumors suggest that Garmin and Google are collaborating on an Emergency Satellite messaging system for Android. Developer and X (formerly known as Twitter) user @neil_rahmouni has uncovered code in the latest Google Messages app update which notes “messaging by satellite ended”, with instructions for users that “for questions about your emergency, call Garmin Response”.
Garmin’s Response Center, previously known as the GEOS IERCC and then the Garmin IERCC, is an emergency response coordination hub, working 24/7. InReach technology allows you to trigger an SOS alert from remote locations, with team members tracking your location and notifying the appropriate emergency services. The service is available in 150 countries across seven continents; presumably, the Android feature would have the same coverage worldwide. According to Garmin, its Response Center has assisted with over 10,000 emergencies flagged by inReach so far.
It is worth noting that Garmin users must have an inReach Subscription Plan to use this feature, charged at US$14.95 per month; it is not clear whether Android users would be required to pay the same. By comparison, Apple’s equivalent SOS via satellite feature is free for the first two years. Rahmouni cautions that, as Garmin and Google have not officially announced the tool, it may not happen. Even if the rumors are accurate, it is unclear when such a tool would be available to users.
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