Apple and SpaceX Link Up to Support Starlink Satellite Network on iPhones

Bloomberg - Apple Inc. has been secretly working with SpaceX and T-Mobile US Inc. to add support for the Starlink network in its latest iPhone software, providing an alternative to the company’s in-house satellite-communication service.

The companies have been testing iPhones with the Starlink service from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp., according to people with knowledge of the matter. In an under-the-radar move, the smartphone’s latest software update — released Monday — now supports the technology.

The tie-up comes as a surprise: T-Mobile has previously only specified Starlink as an option for Samsung Electronics Co. phones, such as the Z Fold and S24 models. Apple, meanwhile, already provides a Globalstar Inc. offering that lets consumers send texts and contact emergency responders when out of cellular range.

T-Mobile has begun allowing customers to sign up for an early version of the Starlink service, and this week the carrier enabled a small number of iPhones as part of a beta test.

The first users received text messages from T-Mobile saying, “You’re in the T-Mobile Starlink beta. You can now stay connected with texting via satellite from virtually anywhere. To start experiencing coverage beyond, please update to iOS 18.3.” Users in the program have a new toggle switch in their iPhone cellular data settings to manage the satellite feature.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment, while T-Mobile said that the test will “begin with select optimized smartphones” and that the full launch will “support the vast majority of modern smartphones.” T-Mobile has also opened the beta to some users running Android 15, the latest version of the Google operating system. A representative for SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ever since Apple teamed up with Globalstar to offer satellite features in 2022, there’s been speculation over whether it might support competing networks. The day after Apple’s 2022 announcement, Musk posted on X that his company has “had some promising conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity.”

Here’s how it will work: When a T-Mobile iPhone is in an area without cellular connectivity, devices that are part of the Starlink program will first try to pair with SpaceX satellites. Users will also be able to enable texting via the satellite menu for the Globalstar service or contact emergency services through Apple.

The initial version of Starlink is exclusively for texting. But SpaceX and T-Mobile have said that they plan to expand into data connections and voice calls in the future. The program also is only available in the US for now. That contrasts with Apple’s Globalstar service, which works in several countries. SpaceX is looking to expand Starlink to other carriers globally.

There’s another major difference between the two services. The current Apple feature requires users to point their iPhone to the sky to find a satellite. The Starlink option, meanwhile, is designed to work automatically — even when the phone is in a customer’s pocket.

Both the Starlink and Apple satellite features are designed to work in off-the-grid areas, such as hiking trails, that don’t have cellular service. The capabilities can’t be used in places where a mobile-phone network is within reach. Support for the Apple feature is available on most current iPhone models and the company plans to bring it to its Ultra smartwatch later this year, Bloomberg News has reported.

T-Mobile updated its website this week to tell beta testers that the iPhone is supported as part of the iOS 18.3 software release. As of now, the number of users in the beta is minimal, with T-Mobile planning to expand the program in February. Apple’s announcement of iOS 18.3 touted AI features and bug fixes, but it didn’t disclose the Starlink support.

SpaceX requested authority to begin beta-testing the service starting Monday. The Federal Communications Commission granted SpaceX conditional approval for its satellites to supplement T-Mobile’s cellular network in November.