(Credit: Skylo)
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Google has beaten Apple in offering a smartwatch designed with built-in satellite connectivity for use in cellular dead zones.
On Wednesday, Google revealed the Pixel Watch 4, calling the product the “world’s first smartwatch with two-way satellite emergency messaging.” The company is tapping US satellite communication provider Skylo to offer the standalone feature, which doesn’t require a paired phone or cellphone plan. A promotional video shows the Pixel Watch 4 sending an emergency message after the user "holds still" to help the device attain a strong satellite signal.
The technology uses the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip inside to communicate with Skylo’s network, which includes high-orbiting geostationary satellites from Viasat and Echostar. The feature is designed only to send satellite-powered messages to emergency services, giving Pixel Watch 4 owners a way to summon help in a cellular dead zone and share their locations.
“By embedding Skylo’s service into phones and wearables, we’re making coverage accessible to people in the moments that matter most," says Skylo CEO Parthsarathi Trivedi. Satellite messaging will be available to Pixel Watch 4 owners in the “continental US with more regions to follow,” the company adds. The satellite feature is free for the first two years.
Apple is rumored to be working on its own satellite implementation for the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra, which we might see at next month's iPhone 17 event.
As for Google, the company previously partnered with Skylo to power emergency satellite messaging on Pixel 9 phones. It’s now doing the same for Pixel 10 phones, which launch on Aug. 28. They will support satellite messaging with emergency services, free of charge for the first two years. Users will also be able to share their location via satellite through Google Maps or Find Hub, a service that can help you locate a lost device connected to your Google account.
Pixel 10 phones will support satellite text messaging, but Skylo says the feature is “carrier-dependent.” Verizon, which also uses Skylo, has confirmed that the Pixel 10 series will offer free satellite text messaging if you use the carrier. Satellite messaging is already available for the Pixel 9 and Samsung S25 series on Verizon’s network.
Meanwhile, rival T-Mobile is offering its own satellite features for Pixel 10 phones through SpaceX’s cellular Starlink service. Buyers of the new Pixel 10 devices will receive early access to the cellular Starlink system’s ability to transmit data to a few apps, including Google Maps.