Stay Connected Anywhere, Anytime with Satellite Messaging
With the growing digital age we use mobile networks to communicate but what happens when you are in a remote area, out of cell coverage? There are certain places in the mountains, around the coast, and driving through hundreds of miles of empty landscape that need more than a bog standard cellular service on your smartphone. Satellite Messaging to the Rescue Thanks to recent technological developments, users can now send satellite messages so you are never out of reach no matter where your adventures take you. Owners of both iPhones and Google Pixel devices can now use satellite services to text in case of emergency or stay in touch with loved ones when not connected to traditional networks.
In this walkthrough, however, we will show you when to use this unique technology and how to make the most of it with some imperative tips on sending satellite messages with your iPhone or Pixel.
Understanding Satellite Messaging
It is a new technology that allows smartphones to send and receive messages via satellite when there is no cell service or wifi available. The satellites allow the whole planet to be monitored giving even the most remote world spots are covered. Satellite communication has been around for decades, but putting it in the hands of consumers is a relatively new concept, allowing regular people to use emergency communication solutions that professional fields previously had exclusive access to.
Apple and Google both have begun to incorporate the technology, by adding it into some of their latest smartphones, enabling emergency SOS messages or simple text communications if out of cell phone range.
How to Send Satellite Messages on iPhone
To help ensure that users would be able to contact emergency services or a specified contact if there were no cellular service, Apple included satellite messaging with its iPhone 14 series. For iPhone 14 or later users, adding Satellite Messaging is as simple as follows:
1. Ensure Compatibility: Portable messaging at the moment handiest for iPhone 14 and above. The caveat to all of this is you must be in an area where such a service is available, with the two giants to roll it out in certain regions like North America (Google and GM) and parts of Europe (TomTom).
2. Enable Emergency SOS: Emergency SOSUses satellites to automatically connect with local authorities when there is no cellular or Wi‑Fi network available (not available in all regions) To turn it on you just have to keep pressing both the side button and either volume buttons simultaneously, when the Emergency SOS slider appears. A Satellite-based solution will be next in line if there is no network.
3. Follow On-Screen Prompts: An iPhone 12 will direct you to position the device so that it can communicate with a satellite on the following image. This means being in as open a location as possible away from any obscuring objects such as trees or buildings that come between the device and the signal.
4. Send Your Message: From there, you can send a short alert message to services or specific people who have been designated in advance. This means that it may take longer to send the message than with a traditional text message, depending on how strong of a satellite signal you have.
5. Wait for Confirmation: You might have to receive a confirmation that the message has gone through. Droid The sat light icon will remain on until the message is sent over the phone and then some.
While the satellite messaging feature from Apple is more or less tailored to emergency conditions, this functionality can surely provide countless others with peace of mind when alone far from civilization.
How to Send Satellite Messages on Pixel
Just like silent messaging in iPhones, Google has added a Satellite Messaging service to Pixel phones. With this feature live on the Pixel 8 Pro and onwards, users can benefit from staying connected during an emergency without needing existing cellular networks. Here are the steps on how to send satellite messages straight from your Pixel:
1. Confirm Availability: As with the iPhone, satellite messaging only works on a select range of Pixel models (from the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro upward), and is supported in Parks Canada locations. Ensure that the service is available in your area and matches well with what you have on offer from time to time.
2. Activate Satellite Mode: That same satellite mode will pop up by itself when you’re in a location where there’s no cellular coverage. In this mode, you can send SOS messages through satellite to rescue parties or known helicopters.
3. Find Satellite Signal: To send a satellite message, your Pixel will need an unobstructed view of the sky. You will be instructed by the phone to move around until your phone is aligned with a satellite to give you the best signal.
4. Send Your Message: When connected to a satellite you will be able to start typing your message and send out an alert to some of your emergency contacts or services. The Pixel’s satellite messaging also only supports text messages, like the iPhone before it, however, so you won’t be able to send images or multimedia.
5. Receive Response: Once you send your message, the recipient (or emergency services) will most likely confirm or respond to your communication. This is the two-way verification to confirm that either help is out or your message has been received, at least.
Key Differences Between iPhone and Pixel Satellite Messaging
Apple and Google have both fully supported satellite messaging, but the way it works on iPhone is slightly different than how it operates on those running Pixel devices. Apple’s is a more emergency-focused system, one that sends messages directly to paramedics or your pre-selected contacts. Satellite messaging has long been possible with Garmin devices and a select few other apps on Android, so its arrival to Messenger is more of a catch-up for DeLorme than anything else. Google, however, is moving towards system-wide satellite messaging in general but without the emergency trappings.
There are also basic, Apple-style graphics that show you connect to the satellites (in a sky-eye view or GPS your path), with these pointers moving around on the screen to tell you where not to hold your phone. Google is a bit of trial and error in some places, but somehow works fine.
Tips for Effective Satellite Messaging
Satellite communication is a useful and important tool to carry while traveling, but like any other tool, all good as long as you know how it works and have practiced in your home first. Now some ways to make sure you can use satellite messaging:
• Stay in Open Spaces: Satellite signals need clear skies Keep in mind that you can only use satellite messaging when you have a clear view of the sky and are not stuck under thick trees, indoors, or next to tall buildings where the signal would be blocked.
• Battery Life: Like most forms of satellite communication, establishing and maintaining a connection to a satellite can be significantly more taxing on your battery life than standard cellular messaging. Charge your phone before venturing to remote areas and pack a portable power supply.
• Pre-Set Emergency Contacts: Pre-load your phone with emergency contacts for easy messaging via satellite.
• Practice Beforehand: If you follow my advice and get a sat beacon, then make sure you know how to use it before an actual emergency happens.
Conclusion
In the mobile phone Satellite Messaging on iPhone and Pixel are a real discovery that ensures you remain connected even in the remotest of places. This is a game-changing feature, whether you are an adventurer who still will be able to be found when out of mobile range, love the outdoors and make sure somebody can alert others if anything goes wrong or just want to have some peace of mind that you can get local emergency services should cellular networks fail. Even if it’s “I’m not sure” or “Maybe,” learning to use your satellite messaging function correctly could mean all the difference during an emergency.
