Starlink connectivity is coming to iPhone via T-Mobile
Starlink connectivity is coming to Apple's iPhone.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Apple has been secretly working with SpaceX and T-Mobile US to add support for Starlink in Apple's iOS 18.3.
T-Mobile partnered with SpaceX last year and launched a beta program for Starlink connectivity last December. However, the company originally only offered the option on Samsung phones. Now, this has been expanded to the iPhone as well.
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The service is still only available as a (very limited) beta. T-Mobile users with iPhones who have signed up for the beta started seeing text messages from T-Mobile telling them to update to iOS 18.3 to get Starlink connectivity.
Apple iPhone users have already had a chance to try out satellite connectivity via Apple's Emergency SOS feature. That feature, however, was quite limited as it could only send some emergency data out, and it required users to point the phone at the sky.
Starlink connectivity is different, as it won't require users to point the phone upwards; instead, it should work like other mobile networks, even when the device is in the user's pocket. The initial version, however, will only allow texting.
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk commented on the news, saying that "medium resolution images, music & audio podcasts should work with the current generation Starlink direct-to-phone constellation." He also announced that the next generation Starlink constellation will do "medium resolution" video.
The feature should be available on "most current iPhone models," Bloomberg's report said. It's also coming to Apple's Ultra smartwatch later in 2025.
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
