Android 15
Android 15 Could Bring Satellite Connectivity: Lets You Text Anyone
The next major update for Android is Android 15, which is already on the way to upgrade your Android smartphones.
Hard to relate, but the high-end flagship Android smartphones lack emergency SOS satellite connectivity, but now it appears that this time Google may introduce this facility for enhancing the user experience as per their convenience.
While, back in 2023, Apple already debuted this emergency SOS satellite connectivity with the iPhone 14 Pro series. Now, recent reports indicate that Google is working on adding satellite connectivity, at least to its Pixel phones. A new report highlights how this feature will work, which includes the possibility of satellite SOS connectivity coming to existing Android phones without requiring additional hardware.
A well-known tipster, Mishaal Rahman, got the Satellite Messaging page to show up in the latest Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 release and shared details on how it will work in a report. It has come to be known that when a smartphone is unable to get access to a mobile network or Wi-Fi, then it will “auto-connect to a satellite.”
Although the usual satellite connectivity caveats apply, it will only be available in specific areas, and the terms are applied such as the sky must be clear, phone calls are unavailable, and texts can take longer to send or receive.
Here’s the question: how will existing Android smartphones connect to a satellite without the necessary hardware?
So the credit goes to T-Mobile and SpaceX; the two brands partnered back in 2022 for “Direct to Cell,” which authorized current LTE phones to talk to low-orbit satellites. Starlink debuted the first batch of Direct to Cell satellites in February, whereas T-Mobile is gearing up to announce the feature.
Now it is expected that, along with Android 15, Google will offer this feature, as evident from the Satellite Messaging page within the latest Android 14 QPR3 beta.
Clicking on the “Add satellite messaging” button redirected Tipster to a T-Mobile satellite coverage page, more than confirming that Google is gearing up to add satellite connectivity support for the carrier. One more advantage of the implementation of T-Mobile is that it will permit users to message anyone, not just emergency services.
On the other hand, iPhone users have limited contact with emergency services. However, at the moment, everything regarding this feature is not clear yet, but as time passes, it is expected that the brand will release more details soon.
Google already made the Android 15 Beta 1.2 available to download for Pixel owners and is gradually but actively moving towards the stable version. The stable version of Android 15 could offer more access to third-party developers for Digital Wellbeing tools.
A few years ago, Google introduced its Digital Wellbeing application in 2019, this helps users balance their digital lives by tracking how much time they spend on each application. It includes various tools such as Dashboard, App timers, and more.
Third-party developers have been limited in how they can use the digital wellbeing tools, but that may be changing with Android 15. For now, third-party applications can only make Do Not Disturb schedules using Android’s Digital Wellbeing APIs, but in the scenarios where Android 15 lands by the end of this year, they will get the power to more fully make use of the tools Google has been keeping to itself.
Particularly, third-party applications will be permitted to make changes to the screen, for instance, by turning off the Always On Display or authorizing Dark Mode. Granted, developers have acknowledged workarounds to enable those features, but now it appears that those functionalities will have official support, a report says.
If this report came true, then users would have a wider variety of applications to manage screen time and focus at their convenience, instead of relying simply on Google’s built-in tools. However, a few core functionalities; for instance, disabling touch and adjusting brightness will possibly remain restricted. It will be interesting to see the exact change in the stable version.
Samsung’s next major iteration, Android 15-based ‘One UI 7.0’, is on the way to knock on your Galaxy smartphone’s door, as the giant started internal testing.
Android 15 is already in its public beta testing stage on Pixel devices. Now Samsung has also started setting up to adopt Android 15 for its Galaxy series, with the release of One UI 7.0 expected by the end of this year.
Previously, we reported that Samsung might start working on One UI 7.0, and finally, the evidence came into existence since a reliable tipster, reported about the spotting of the first build of One UI 7.0 for the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The tipster shared a post on X, which indicates that the Korean giant has begun internal testing and a beta update will soon be available. I spotted that the version specified as S928BXXU2BXE2 was found on Checkfirm. It is also reported that the tests are currently being conducted in Europe. One UI Beta Program lets the giant test new features and improvements ahead of an official release.
However, the One UI 7.0 Beta Program will only be limited to just seven regions, including the US, China, Germany, India, Poland, Korea, and the UK.
This permits the users to try out the next interface and provide feedback, helping Samsung enhance the user experience. As per Samsung’s policy, initially, it will make the One UI 7 Beta available for the latest flagship devices, which are the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra models.
Then later, older flagship devices such as the Galaxy S23 series and Galaxy S22 series will join the beta program. Apart from the flagship devices, some of the mid-range models, such as the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, may also have the opportunity to participate in beta testing.
Google has already simplified the process of data transfer on Android phones; now the company is reportedly working on enhancing the transfer speed by implementing new options.
According to the information shared by Android Authority, Google has introduced a new feature in “Data Restore Tool,” which claims to bring a faster setup and transfer process. For successful data transfer, Google appears to be working to use the ability to use a cable and Wi-Fi at the same time to transfer data. All this information is revealed through the code strings of the latest version of the application.
Apart from the speed booster tool, there is one more option that appears as “Restore anytime.” It is expected to allow users to choose to restore data from another device to their existing devices even when the newer device is already set up.
According to the information, these all-new improved features were spotted for Google’s Pixel device, especially for the latest devices like the Google Pixel 8. However, there is no information about when these improvements will arrive for the devices.
However, if you want to transfer data by other methods, you can also try the Samsung smart switch which allows user to easily move data from the old device to new device, it provides two ways to transfer data: the first one is to transfer data from old phone to new phone via Wi-Fi, secondly user can also transfer data via USB cable. The special thing about the application is that it is used for transferring data across platforms.
Follow Sam Lover on Your Favorite Social Media Platforms