Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR Recent code findings in the Satellite Gateway app corroborate that the Pixel Watch 4 could feature emergency satellite communications.
This satellite connectivity feature appears to be exclusive to Pixel Watch devices, with code specifically referencing “isPixelWatch.”
It’s possible the feature could be routed through a satellite-compatible Pixel phone, potentially allowing it to come to older Pixel Watch generations in the future.
The Pixel Watch 4 is expected to introduce some nifty changes, like its polarizing new charger, which you can love and hate simultaneously, and even a Breathing Emergencies tool to detect when your oxygen level falls too low. Leaks have suggested that we can look forward to Emergency Satellite Communications on the Pixel Watch 4. Now, we’ve spotted more clues to corroborate that this feature is indeed coming to Google’s upcoming smartwatch.
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The Satellite Gateway app is one of the apps responsible for the Satellite SOS features on Pixel phones. In the latest v20250707 of the Satellite Gateway app, we’ve spotted several bits of code that directly reference the feature within the context of a smartwatch:
Code Copy Text intent.setClassName("com.google.android.apps.scone", "com.google.android.apps.scone.satellite.watchui.MainActivity");
Here, “com.google.android.apps.scone” references the Adaptive Connectivity Service app, which helps direct the UI for pointing your device towards a satellite for connection. We also see a mention of “watchui” in the activity, which clearly indicates the feature making its way to a smartwatch.
But is the emergency satellite communications feature coming to all Wear OS smartwatches? Several parts of the obfuscated code for the satellite connectivity feature includes checks like “isPixelDevice:%s” and, more importantly, “isPixelWatch:%s,” indicating that the feature is most likely destined only for the Pixel Watch.
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