Hurricane Milton: T-Mobile, Starlink unlocks satellite texting in affected region. Here’s how it works.

T-Mobile customers impacted by Hurricane Milton will get free emergency satellite texting thanks to Starlink.

On Tuesday evening, SpaceX, which owns Starlink, shared that it has activated its Direct to Cell satellites for T-Mobile carriers in Florida, which is expected to bear the brunt of the hurricane. "We have now enabled basic texting (SMS) for those on T-Mobile phones in hurricane affected areas," said SpaceX in a post on X. "Text messages have already been sent and received. You can text loved ones, text 911 and continue to receive emergency alerts."

SpaceX has also delivered 10,000 Starlink kits to areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

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How does satellite texting work?

Activation of satellite-based texting was made possible by the Federal Communications Commission, which granted approval for "special temporary authority" to provide cell service in affected parts of Florida.

Hurricane Milton, currently fluctuating between a category 4 and 5 with up to 160 mph winds, is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Residents in southwestern Florida have been ordered to evacuate and experts are predicting devastating impact. "Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," said the National Hurricane Center in an announcement on Wednesday.

T-Mobile users won't have to do anything or buy anything extra to get Starlink connectivity, although some devices might require the user to turn on the satellite connectivity option in settings, said a T-Mobile spokesperson in a comment on the SpaceX post.

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If a phone connects to a Starlink satellite, it will show one to two bars of connectivity and say "T-Mobile SpaceX" as the network name, the SpaceX post explained. It also recommended trying multiple times if a message doesn't go through at first — it works best outdoors or indoors near a window.

For people impacted by Hurricane Milton that don't have T-Mobile, there might be other options for satellite connectivity. Apple has an Emergency SOS via Satellite feature on iPhone 14 models and newer via a partnership with Globalstar, and the Google Pixel 9 has a similar Satellite SOS feature, thanks to a partnership with Skylo.