You should make sure to keep your personal information up to date. This includes your emergency contacts (which you can set up in Settings > Security & Emergency > Emergency Contacts) and your Google Account. Your “name, email, phone number, location, device information, and emergency contacts are shared with emergency services and satellite service providers.”
When you touch Begin In Satellite SOS, you’ll first be asked to answer a few questions about your emergency, like whether you’re in a vehicle and if anyone is in immediate danger. Once you answer these questions, you’ll be able to connect to a satellite. You’ll see a giant circle on the screen suggesting directions to point your phone. You’ll need to place it flat in your palm, and you’ll need to be outdoors, away from buildings, trees, and mountains (as best as you can). For the best signal, make sure your grip isn’t interacting with the top half of the Pixel.
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
Once you point your phone in the right direction, it should connect. You’ll now see a text message view where you can send messages to emergency services detailing the situation, and hopefully emergency services will be on their way shortly after.
Now, just because you can Using smartphones like the Pixel 9 or iPhone 15 to communicate with emergency services via satellite doesn’t mean your phone is suddenly the best option for connectivity in remote areas. Satellite messengers are more rugged and durable, and since you probably won’t be using them all the time like you would a smartphone, they have better battery life. They also offer more features, like creating waypoints. Overall, Satellite eSOS is a useful backup feature, but if you’re going to be regularly in remote areas with limited or no cellular connectivity, there’s still a place for dedicated satellite messengers.
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