{"id":92586,"date":"2025-08-25T22:15:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T22:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/92586\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T22:15:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T22:15:14","slug":"google-pixel-10-phones-support-satellite-calling-through-whatsapp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/92586\/","title":{"rendered":"Google: Pixel 10 Phones Support Satellite Calling Through WhatsApp"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t miss out on our latest stories. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=pcmag.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Add PCMag<\/a> as a preferred source on Google.<\/p>\n<p>In a first for smartphones, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/made-by-google-2025-i-tried-the-pixel-10-series-google-ai\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pixel 10<\/a> devices will support satellite calling through WhatsApp.<\/p>\n<p>Google <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/madebygoogle\/status\/1958939850716946905\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow\">posted<\/a> a short video demo of the feature. The clip shows a Pixel 10 connected via satellite receiving a call on WhatsApp. We didn&#8217;t get an idea of the voice quality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPixel devices will be the first to offer voice and video calls on WhatsApp over a satellite network starting 8\/28,\u201d Google tweeted. That&#8217;s the day the Pixel 10 ($799), Pixel 10 Pro ($999), and Pixel 10 Pro XL officially launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"text-gray-600\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/madebygoogle\/status\/1958939850716946905\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><br \/>\n        This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>The satellite calling could be especially helpful if you end up in a cellular dead zone. But according to the Google clip, the feature \u201cis limited to participating carriers.\u201d SpaceX has been teasing its involvement, suggesting the company\u2019s cellular Starlink service can power voice and video calling through WhatsApp. A company VP for Starlink Engineering, Michael Nicolls, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/michaelnicollsx\/status\/1959093869406298602\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow\">reposted<\/a> the clip, adding: \u201cVoice and video coming to Starlink direct-to-cell!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The cellular Starlink service is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/tmobile-cellular-starlink-tsatellite-launch-everything-you-need-to-know\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">available<\/a> through T-Mobile, which charges $10 a month per access for most consumers. It already supports satellite texting, including images, audio, and video clips. But SpaceX is also working to bring voice and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/spacex-demos-cellular-starlink-tech-powering-video-call-between-phones\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">video<\/a> calling to the system.<\/p>\n<p>Google\u2019s announcement is a bit strange, though, since T-Mobile itself hasn\u2019t touted the WhatsApp feature for August 28th. Instead, the carrier has only said Pixel 10 devices will receive support to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/pixel-10-early-access-tsatellite-app-support-made-by-google-2025\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">transmit satellite data<\/a> to three Google apps once the phones launch on Thursday.\u00a0That said, the cellular Starlink service is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/t-mobile-cellular-starlink-satellite-july-23-launch-data-support-oct-1\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">supposed<\/a> to support a larger number of mobile apps, including WhatsApp, starting this October 1st.<\/p>\n<p>        Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n<p>The satellite calling feature undoubtedly stands out, but one big question is how well it works and whether SpaceX\u2019s cellular Starlink service has enough bandwidth to power it without interruption. A study in June\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/how-fast-is-t-mobiles-cellular-starlink-service-new-study-breaks-it-down\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">estimated<\/a>\u00a0that the cellular Starlink system was capable of 4Mbps\u00a0download rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve reached out to Google, T-Mobile, and WhatsApp\u2019s parent Meta for more information and we\u2019ll update the story if we hear back. <\/p>\n<p>AT&amp;T and Verizon have also been working on their own satellite-to-phone service through Texas-based startup AST SpaceMobile. But it might not kick off its own beta for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/longer-delay-ast-spacemobiles-fm1-satellite-might-not-launch-until-january\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">several<\/a> more months. In the meantime, Verizon has been tapping a company called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/with-pixel-watch-4-google-beats-apple-on-smartwatch-satellite-messaging\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Skylo<\/a> to offer only satellite-based text messaging for Pixel 10 phones.<\/p>\n<p>                                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"w-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ex.co\/transformations\/production\/82855de7-16c2-4158-82a7-fc3fae280f1e\/thumbnail-720.webp\" alt=\"5 Things to Know About Starlink Satellite Internet\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"max-w-[2.5rem] md:min-w-12 md:max-w-12\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/images\/pcmag.svg\" alt=\"PCMag Logo\"\/><\/p>\n<p>5 Things to Know About Starlink Satellite Internet<\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"opacity-20 absolute right-0 top-0 z-0 hidden md:block\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/images\/newsletter-envelope.svg\" alt=\"Newsletter Icon\" style=\"max-width:220px; max-height:140px; pointer-events:none;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"opacity-20 h-full w-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/images\/newsletter-envelope.svg\" alt=\"Newsletter Icon\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n            Get Our Best Stories!\n        <\/p>\n<p>                                    A Smart, Bold Take on the Wireless World<\/p>\n<p>                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"h-auto w-full rounded-md object-cover md:rounded-l-md\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/21056617-contextual.fit_lpad.size_250x140.v1750712013.png\" alt=\"Fully Mobilized Newsletter Image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sign up for the Fully Mobilized newsletter to get our top mobile stories delivered right to your inbox.<\/p>\n<p>Sign up for the Fully Mobilized newsletter to get our top mobile stories delivered right to your inbox.<\/p>\n<p class=\"roboto-flex mt-2 text-xs font-normal leading-tight text-black md:whitespace-nowrap\">\n                        By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our <a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/terms\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/privacy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.\n                    <\/p>\n<p class=\"text-green-500 mt-2 text-xl font-bold\">Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-2\">Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!<\/p>\n<p>                    About Michael Kan<\/p>\n<p>\n                            Senior Reporter\n                        <\/p>\n<p>                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"w-full rounded-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/06W4G6A5rmg4LxEffqKnnc6.fit_lim.size_200x200.v1560221550.png\" alt=\"Michael Kan\" width=\"90px\" height=\"90px\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years\u2014I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>\n                            <a class=\"font-bold\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/michael-kan\" aria-label=\"Michael&#039;s Author Bio\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                                Read Michael&#8217;s full bio<br \/>\n                            <\/a>\n                        <\/p>\n<p>                                    Read the latest from Michael Kan<\/p>\n<p>                <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google. In a first&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2306,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-92586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}