Pixel 9a Lacks Satellite SOS Support With Its Older Modem, Google Confirms

Google’s Pixel 9a offers a lot for its $499 price tag, but it doesn’t have everything the rest of the Pixel 9 series has. Thanks to a generation-old modem, the Pixel 9a lacks support for Google’s Satellite SOS feature.

Satellite SOS was introduced with the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and those continue to be the only devices that support it. While Google has recently expanded regional availability, the safety feature is still restricted only to compatible hardware.

That needed hardware boils down to Samsung’s Exynos 5400 modem, which was used for the first time in the Pixel 9 series alongside Tensor G4. As such, the new Pixel 9a lacks this feature, not because it doesn’t have Tensor G4, but because Google swapped out the modem, likely to help reach that low price point.

As rumored, Google confirmed this week that the Pixel 9a is using the older Exynos 5300 modem, the same one used in Pixel 7 series and Pixel 8 series devices. The company also confirmed to Android Authority that the Pixel 9a, with its older modem, won’t get support for Satellite SOS (this is also reflected in the Pixel 9a not being mentioned on Google’s support pages). Samsung did test satellite connectivity on the Exynos 5300, but it only added official support with the Exynos 5400 modem. Google is rumored to be swapping to a MediaTek modem next time around, which will hopefully extend satellite support to next year’s mid-range release.

In the meantime, would a lack of satellite connectivity prevent you from buying a Pixel 9a?