The Pixel 9a is missing this key safety feature from the Pixel 9 series

The Google Pixel 9a was finally announced this week, and it brings a lot of the Pixel 9’s features to a lower price point. For example, both phones have the same display, chipset, storage options, and software support. To achieve the Pixel 9a’s $499 price point, Google had to cut back in some areas, including what modem it’s using. The Pixel 9a uses a last generation modem, and as a result, it’s missing out on one of the Pixel 9’s key safety features: Satellite SOS.

Ahead of the phone’s launch, Google told Android Authority that the modem in the Pixel 9a is the Exynos Modem 5300, which is the same modem used in the Pixel 8 series. In contrast, the rest of the phones in the Google Pixel 9 series use the Exynos Modem 5400 from Samsung. Apart from having better efficiency, stability, and performance than its predecessor, the Exynos Modem 5400 also supports the 3GPP Release 17 standard. 3GPP Release 17 enables support for 5G non-terrestrial networking (NTN), allowing devices to connect to low-earth orbit satellites.

We were curious if this meant the Pixel 9a won’t have any satellite connectivity features, so we reached out to Google to find out. A spokesperson for Google confirmed to Android Authority that the Pixel 9a doesn’t support Satellite SOS, a key safety feature available on the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

“Confirming Pixel 9a will not support Satellite SOS and satellite messaging.” – A Google spokesperson

Satellite SOS connects your Pixel phone to emergency services when your phone is out of Wi-Fi or cellular service range. Google announced it with the launch of the Pixel 9 series last year. It was initially limited to users in the continental U.S. but recently expanded to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Europe, and the UK with the recent March Pixel Drop update.

Google’s statement also confirmed that the Pixel 9a doesn’t support satellite messaging, which recently became available on the Pixel 9 series with the same March Pixel Drop update. With satellite messaging, Pixel 9 users on Verizon and T-Mobile can send text messages to friends and family members while off the grid.

Although the Pixel 9a doesn’t support this same feature, I think Starlink’s satellite service may still work on the device. Starlink’s service, which is currently in beta for both T-Mobile and non-T-Mobile customers, enables satellite messaging on existing phones without requiring specialized hardware. Starlink’s newer satellites utilize Direct to Cell technology, broadcasting their own network using T-Mobile’s mid-band spectrum. This should theoretically allow the Pixel 9a, along with other non-satellite-capable Android devices, to send text messages in areas without cellular coverage.

Even if the Pixel 9a had the newer Exynos Modem 5400, it’s uncertain whether Google would have enabled the Satellite SOS and satellite messaging features. Google’s announcement of the satellite feature for the Pixel 9 series only mentioned two years of free access, suggesting it could introduce a subscription fee in the future. Since Satellite SOS relies on Skylo (for its non-terrestrial network) and Garmin (for responding to emergency requests), Google might have chosen to differentiate the Pixel 9a by omitting the feature. However, to make the Pixel 9a compete more favorably with the iPhone 16e, Google may have chosen to include Satellite SOS had the hardware supported it. Who knows what the company would have done in this hypothetical situation, but as it stands today, the Pixel 9a lacks the same satellite capabilities its more premium siblings and some of its more direct competitors enjoy.