Google will follow Apple’s path by bringing satellite-based SOS tech with the Pixel 9 series this year and it will be free. Reports say that Pixel 9 series will support the useful feature that helps you message or call emergency services when the mobile network is unavailable. Google is expected to announce Android 15 out of the box with the Pixel 9 phones, which is going to include a foldable model this year.
Google Pixel 9 SOS Tech – Free For Now Or Forever?
The report this month claims that Android 15 beta tear down is proof that the SOS tech via satellite will be free for the Pixel 9 models. However, the same tear down of the beta version also hints that the free aspect of the satellite tech feature will only be available for up to 2 years.
So, let’s say you buy the Pixel 9 Pro in 2024, and Google will keep its word by letting you use the SOS feature for up to 2026. The report also points out that Google will be calling its feature as Pixel Satellite SOS which users can expect to get it via a Pixel Drop update. Bringing it through an update could possibly make it easier for Google to push the feature to older Pixel models in the near future.
Apple has also talked about keeping the SOS feature free for a year or maybe two but it won’t be free for the lifetime. So, we expect Google to have a similar model with its satellite provider, mainly because the feature is niche and will not be used a lot so monetising the feature helps the companies run it without any down time.
Pixel 9 India Surprise
In the other Pixel 9 news, Google has confirmed which Pixel 9 models are coming to the Indian market this year. And surprise, surprise, Google is bringing the full list of products. It said the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be coming to the Indian market next month.
That’s right, this will be the first foldable from the Pixel stable to come to our shores, and it was surprising to hear Google make that announcement out of the blue. The Pixel 9 Pro India launch is on August 14, one day after the Made by Google event in California next month.
The first-gen Pixel Fold didn’t come to India and going by the reviews of the device and its price tag, many felt that was the right call. But Google sees India as a big part of its Pixel growth story, not only with the Pixel a series models. So, bringing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to the country feels like an affirmation to those claims.
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