HMD OffGrid Gives Satellite Texting to Any Phone or Tablet

HMD, the maker of the Barbie flip phone and many Nokia-branded smartphones, has just released the HMD OffGrid. It is designed to add two-way satellite messaging capabilities to any phone or tablet.

HMD OffGrid is a small device measuring just 3.7 inches tall and 2.32 inches across, capable of connecting to satellites in Earth orbit for communications. It uses Skylo’s network infrastructure, same as Google Pixel 9 seriesMotorola Defy Satellite Link and some other phones and adapters. The OffGrid HMD acts like a relay: you connect your phone to it via Bluetooth, and the OffGrid connects to the satellites in the sky.

The device connects to your phone or tablet using the HMD OffGrid app, which available for Android And iPhone. The iPhone app requires iOS 16.0 or later, and the Android version currently requires Android 10 or later. The Apple App Store listing also mentions that it can be installed on Macs and Vision Pro headsets, but this could just be a fluke that will change at some point.

When connected to an OffGrid device, the OffGrid app gives you the ability to send and receive messages from trusted contacts with a 140 character limit. Presumably your contacts will also need to install the OffGrid app as it doesn’t use iMessage or SMS, for example Apple Satellite Text Messages. It can also automatically send regular location updates to your contacts. If you press and hold the SOS button, it will send your current location and other information to Overwatch x Salvationwhich, in turn, must coordinate its actions with local search and rescue services. The SOS functionality works even without a connected smartphone.

This OffGrid device has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, a USB Type-C port for charging, and an estimated battery life of three days. That doesn’t seem like a long battery life for something like this – you might have problems if you get lost on the last day of a weekend camping trip. It should be charged to any power bankAlthough.

Unfortunately, these satellites and rescue services don’t grow on trees, so there is a required subscription. The basic “HMD Freedom” plan costs $80 per year with a one-time $20 activation fee and gives you access to SOS and up to 350 text and check-in messages each month. This limit is “based on an average message size of 50 bytes,” so if you send essays via text messages, you will have fewer messages available.

The “HMD Unlimited Plan” costs $140 per year when billed annually (otherwise it’s $15 per month and $180 per year) with a $10 activation fee, but it has no maximum for text messages and registration messages. Both plans have an additional $5 per month fee for unlimited real-time tracking.

You can buy HMD OffGrid today for $200 from the HMD online store. The device, a year of Freedom’s basic plan, and the associated activation fee are $300, so it’s likely only of interest to tourists or anyone else often outside the range of cell towers. Apple’s satellite text messaging is still free for now, but only works with select iPhone models, and communication is limited to supported SMS numbers and iMessage contacts.

Source: HMD