Technologies

What You Need to Know About Satellite Connectivity in Phones

As carriers begin to unveil their own satellite plans, here’s everything you need to know whether your phone supports satellite connectivity or is «satellite optimized.»

When you hear the words «satellite phone,» your mind probably conjures up an image of a clunky mobile monstrosity straight out of a spy thriller. Usually rather bulky and utilitarian, traditional satellite phones are typically required in remote locations where cellular networks are unavailable. Nowadays, however, satellite connectivity can be found in regular smartphones too, thanks to new hardware innovations and unique partnerships with satellite network providers.

They can’t fully replace traditional satellite phones, but in an emergency situation, this feature can be a real lifesaver. This kind of connectivity has already proven useful in rescuing people from Hurricanes Milton and Helene, the recent wildfires in Los Angeles and the deadly fires in Maui. There are also several reported cases of the Emergency SOS texting feature rescuing lost hikers. While satellite connectivity isn’t in every phone right now, it’s clear that there’s a real need for it, and don’t be surprised to see even more of this feature in years to come.

What is satellite connectivity in phones?

If a phone has satellite connectivity, it can connect to a satellite when you don’t have a cellular signal. This feature debuted in Apple’s iPhone 14 in 2022 and has since been incorporated in subsequent iPhones as well as certain Android phones like Google’s Pixel 9 and Samsung’s Galaxy S25. Some phones have satellite connectivity regardless of carrier for a period of time (like recent iPhones and the Pixel 9), while others require a specific carrier due to partnerships and hardware compatibility (like Galaxy S25 phones on Verizon).

Apple provides satellite connectivity in partnership with Globalstar, its affiliates and third-party network providers. However, Apple doesn’t provide satellite connectivity in models purchased in Armenia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Kazakhstan or Russia. Google partnered with Skylo for its satellite service, which currently works only in the continental US and on Pixel 9 devices.

Several US carriers have also recently started to provide satellite connectivity. Verizon, for example, has partnered with Skylo to provide its satellite messaging service to specific satellite-enabled phones like the Galaxy S25 and the Pixel 9 series. T-Mobile, on the other hand, has partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink, which uses a «direct-to-cell» technology that doesn’t require the phone to have a specialized satellite modem.

Regardless of the kind of satellite connectivity your phone has, it still needs one important thing to work properly: connection with a satellite. Not only are these satellites hundreds of miles away in space, but they also orbit the Earth at a quick pace. You definitely need to be outside for the best satellite connection possible. You also want a direct view of the sky and to be away from tall trees or heavy foliage. Even then, a message might take 30 seconds or more to send depending on the rest of your surroundings, the length of the message and the status of the satellite network.

How can I use satellite connectivity?

The most obvious benefit of satellite connectivity in phones is SOS messaging. Apple calls its service Emergency SOS, while Google calls its service Satellite SOS. Like the names suggest, these services let you contact an emergency dispatcher when you have no phone signal. Apple also added other related satellite connectivity features to its iPhones, such as Roadside Assistance via satellite and Send Location via satellite (via the Find My feature).

In 2024, Apple added a Messages via satellite feature to iOS 18 that allows iMessages or SMS messages to be sent and received by satellite to anyone, not just emergency services. It supports emoji, tapbacks, and iMessage bubbles and screen effects, but you can’t send or receive photos or videos, and it doesn’t support group chats. The recipient must also have iOS 18 or newer to receive iMessages (replying to an SMS message via satellite requires iOS 17.6 or later or a non-Apple phone). This works no matter which carrier you use for your phone.

Verizon customers who have either a Galaxy S25 or a Pixel 9 handset can send and receive text messages via satellite to any device, along with SOS emergency services. Those who use T-Mobile’s Starlink service, called T-Satellite, can send and receive messages to anyone as well. Right now, picture messaging, voice calls and data aren’t supported, but T-Mobile plans to add them soon.

One especially interesting aspect of T-Satellite, is that it’s open not just to T-Mobile customers but those from other carriers as well. The service is free for now during its beta trial period, but once the full service launches in July, and will remain free for T-Mobile customers on Go5G Next or Experience More plans. Otherwise, T-Satellite is $10 a month for T-Mobile customers on other plans, as well as for Verizon and AT&T customers.

As of this writing, Verizon is offering its satellite messaging service for free. Apple and Google have both said they’ll provide their respective satellite services for free for the first two years. It’s unclear what happens after that, but Apple has previously extended satellite service for iPhone 14 owners.

How do I know if my phone has satellite connectivity?

As of this writing, only certain phones come with built-in satellite connectivity. In the US this includes the iPhone 14 and newer, the Pixel 9 series as well as the Galaxy S25. The recent iPhones and the Pixel 9 series can connect to satellites when you lose your connection to a cellular network, while the Galaxy S25 requires a carrier like Verizon. The Pixel 9 can also use Verizon’s satellite service. These phones come with specialized hardware and satellite modems that enable satellite connectivity right off the bat.

Thanks to T-Mobile’s partnership with Starlink, however, more phones could have satellite connectivity even on existing hardware. T-Mobile’s Starlink satellite service (also known as T-Satellite) is currently compatible with «satellite optimized» phones such as the iPhone 14 and newer, the Pixel 9 series, the Motorola Razr Plus 2024, the Galaxy S24 and newer, the Galaxy A36 series, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Galaxy Z Fold 6. In this instance, «satellite optimization» simply means being able to seamlessly connect with a satellite in the absence of a cellular network.

You’ll know your phone has satellite connectivity if you can find the «Satellite» option in Settings or Control Center, usually when you’re out of Wi-Fi or cellular network coverage. There’ll often be a satellite icon or «SAT» symbol where the cellular symbol would be.

Can I use satellite connectivity while having a cellular signal?

No, you generally can’t have satellite and cellular connectivity at the same time. Satellite connectivity is designed to be used as a fallback when Wi-Fi or cellular networks are not available.

What are the limitations of satellite connectivity?

At the moment, satellite connectivity is limited to text messaging, with no support for multimedia, voice calls or data. As mentioned earlier, there are also potential physical restrictions to contend with. If you’re indoors or under heavy foliage or you don’t have a clear line of sight of the sky, satellite connectivity could be an issue. There is also a lack of coverage in the water off the coasts.

Update, May 7: T-Satellite is free for T-Mobile customers on Go5G Next or Experience More plans and is $10 per month for other users on other T-Mobile plans and for Verizon and AT&T subscribers.

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Technologies

Kohler Wants to Put a Tiny Camera in Your Toilet and Analyze the Contents

The company’s new Dekoda toilet accessory is like a little bathroom detective.

Some smart litter boxes can monitor our pets’ habits and health, so having a camera in our human toilet bowls seems inevitable. That’s just what kitchen and bathroom fixture company Kohler has done for its new health and wellness brand, Kohler Health.

The $599 Dekoda clamps over the rim like a toilet bowl cleaner, pointing an optical sensor at your excretions and secretions. It then analyzes the images to detect any blood and reviews your gut health and hydration status. Depending on the plan you choose, the subscription fee is between $70 and $156 per year.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

At toilet time, you sign in via a fingerprint sensor so that the device knows who’s using the facilities. (Please wash your hands before signing out or tracking your progress.) Then, check in with the app for the day’s analysis and trends over time.

Wait until you’re off the pot, though, before you start doomscrolling your health. The device has a removable, rechargeable battery and uses a USB connection.

Kohler says it secures your data via the aforementioned fingerprint scanner and end-to-end encryption, and notes that the camera uses «discreet optics,» looking only at the results, not your body parts.

«Dekoda’s sensors see down into your toilet and nowhere else,» the company says.

Kohler warns that the technology doesn’t work very well with dark toilet colors, which makes sense. I’m sure there could be an upsell model with a light on it. Maybe the company could add an olfactory sensor, since smell reveals a lot about your gut health too. It could track «session» length or buildup under the rim to alert whoever has responsibility to clean it.

Kohler must have been straining to find appropriate lifestyle photos to include with the publicity materials. Many of the images are hilarious, featuring fit-looking men and women drinking water and staring off into space contemplatively — probably thinking about gas.

Technologies

Who’s Up to Fight Mega-Corporations in the Outer Worlds 2 on Xbox Game Pass?

Save the universe by fighting one CEO at a time in The Outer Worlds 2, plus play other great games coming to Xbox Game Pass in October.

Space is the final frontier, and it’s packed with some devious mega-corporations who are out to make a buck in The Outer Worlds 2. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can fight them in the highly anticipated sequel starting on Oct. 29.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Hollow Knight: Silksong, added monthly.

Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in October, including Ninja Gaiden 4.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

PowerWash Simulator 2

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.

If you’ve ever spent hours watching people on YouTube clean dirty rugs, cars and other grimy objects, you should check out PowerWash Simulator 2. As the name suggests, this sequel is all about blasting away dirt and filth from pools, homes and other objects around town. You have a furry kitty companion, and yes, you can pet them when you’ve finished cleaning.

Bounty Star

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.

The American Southwest has devolved into a lawless, post-apocalyptic desert called the Red Expanse in this game. You’re out to clean the place up in this game by taking down major bounties issued by the government, and the best way to do that is by piloting and customizing a giant mech, of course. When you want to nurse your wounds, head back to your run-down garage to rest, grow and cook food and raise animals. It’s like a cozy Armored Core game.

Super Fantasy Kingdom (game preview)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 24.

After returning from a hunting trip, you find your 8-bit kingdom wrecked in this game. You must rebuild your domain in this roguelite, city builder. But as night falls, hordes of monsters emerge to tear everything back down. Build, mine, cook and grow your home, and prepare to defend it from all dangers.

Halls of Torment

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 28.

Get ready to descend into the deadly Halls of Torment in this retro, horde survival game. You can choose between 11 playable characters, each with their own playstyle, and equip various items and abilities to survive waves of enemies. This game is like Vampire Survivors, so if you like that game give this one a shot.

The Outer Worlds 2

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.

Clear your calendar for this sequel to the award-winning sci-fi adventure, The Outer Worlds. This time, you’re an Earth Directorate agent investigating the cause of devastating rifts that could destroy humanity. You have a new ship, new crew, new enemies and mega-corporation goons standing between you and the answers.

1000xResist

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 4.

One thousand years in the future, humanity is hanging on by a thread after a disease spread by alien occupation forces people to live underground in this sci-fi adventure game. You play as Watcher, and you fulfill your duties well, until one day you make a shocking discovery. This game won a Peabody Award in 2024, and it was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing that same year, so get ready for a story like no other.

Football Manager 26

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.

Get ready for a more immersive matchday experience in the latest installment of the Football Manager franchise. You can build a star-studded squad with new transfer tools, and this entry features official Premier League licenses and women’s football for the first time in the series’ history.

Game Pass subscribers can play the standard or Console edition of this game.

Games leaving Game Pass on Oct. 31

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing three others from the service on Oct. 31. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

Jusant
Metal Slug Tactics
Return to Monkey Island

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.

Technologies

Does Charging Your Phone Overnight Damage the Battery? We Asked the Experts

Modern smartphones are protected against overcharging, but heat and use habits can still degrade your battery over time.

Plugging your phone in before you head to bed might seem like second nature. That way by the time your alarms go off in the morning, your phone has a full charge and is ready to help you conquer your day. However, over time, your battery will start to degrade. So is keeping your phone plugged in overnight doing damage to the battery?

The short answer is no. Keeping your phone plugged in all the time won’t ruin your battery. Modern smartphones are built with smart charging systems that cut off or taper power once they’re full, preventing the kind of «overcharging damage» that was common in older devices. So if you’re leaving your iPhone or Android on the charger overnight, you can relax.

That said, «won’t ruin your battery» doesn’t mean it has no effect. Batteries naturally degrade with age and use, and how you charge plays a role in how fast that happens. Keeping a phone perpetually at 100% can add extra stress on the battery, especially when paired with heat, which is the real enemy of longevity.

Understanding when this matters (and when it doesn’t) can help you make small changes to extend your phone’s lifespan.

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The science behind battery wear

Battery health isn’t just about how many times you charge your phone. It’s about how it manages voltage, temperature and maintenance. Lithium-ion batteries age fastest when they’re exposed to extreme levels: 0% and 100%.

Keeping them near full charge for long stretches puts additional voltage stress on the cathode and electrolyte. That’s why many devices use «trickle charging» or temporarily pause at 100%, topping up only when needed.

Still, the biggest threat isn’t overcharging — it’s heat. When your phone is plugged in and running demanding apps, it produces heat that accelerates chemical wear inside the battery. If you’re gaming, streaming or charging on a hot day, that extra warmth does far more harm than leaving the cable plugged in overnight.

Apple’s take

Apple’s battery guide describes lithium-ion batteries as «consumable components» that naturally lose capacity over time. To slow that decline, iPhones use Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your daily routine and pauses charging at about 80% until just before you typically unplug, reducing time spent at high voltage.

Apple also advises keeping devices between 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and removing certain cases while charging to improve heat dissipation. You can read more on Apple’s official battery support page.

What Samsung (and other Android makers) do

Samsung offers a similar feature called Battery Protect, found in One UI’s battery and device care settings. When enabled, it caps charging at 85%, which helps reduce stress during long charging sessions.

Other Android makers like Google, OnePlus and Xiaomi include comparable options — often called Adaptive Charging, Optimized Charging or Battery Care — that dynamically slow power delivery or limit charge based on your habits. These systems make it safe to leave your phone plugged in for extended periods without fear of overcharging.

When constant charging can hurt

Even with these safeguards, some conditions can accelerate battery wear. As mentioned before, the most common culprit is high temperature. Even for a short period of time, leaving your phone charging in direct sunlight, in a car or under a pillow can push temperatures into unsafe zones.

Heavy use while charging, like gaming or 4K video editing, can also cause temperature spikes that degrade the battery faster. And cheap, uncertified cables or adapters may deliver unstable current that stresses cells. If your battery is already several years old, it’s naturally more sensitive to this kind of strain.

How to charge smarter

You don’t need to overhaul your habits but a few tweaks can help your battery age gracefully.

Start by turning on your phone’s built-in optimization tools: Optimized Battery Charging on iPhones, Battery Protect on Samsung devices and Adaptive Charging on Google Pixels. These systems learn your routine and adjust charging speed so your phone isn’t sitting at 100% all night.

Keep your phone cool while charging. According to Apple, phone batteries perform best between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 22 degrees Celsius). If your phone feels hot, remove its case or move it to a better-ventilated or shaded spot. Avoid tossing it under a pillow or too close to other electronics, like your laptop, and skip wireless chargers that trap heat overnight.

Use quality chargers and cables from your phone’s manufacturer or trusted brands. Those cheap «fast-charge» kits you find online often deliver inconsistent current, which can cause long-term issues.

Finally, don’t obsess over topping off. It’s perfectly fine to plug in your phone during the day for short bursts. Lithium-ion batteries actually prefer frequent, shallow charges rather than deep, full cycles. You don’t need to keep it between 20% and 80% all the time, but just avoid extremes when possible.

The bottom line

Keeping your phone plugged in overnight or on your desk all day won’t destroy its battery. That’s a leftover myth from a different era of tech. Modern phones are smart enough to protect themselves, and features like Optimized Battery Charging or Battery Protect do most of the heavy lifting for you.

Still, no battery lasts forever. The best way to slow the inevitable is to manage heat, use quality chargers and let your phone’s software do its job. Think of it less as «babying» your battery and more as charging with intention. A few mindful habits today can keep your phone running strong for years.