Starlink support appears to be a secret iOS 18.3 feature for iPhones, some of which now support satellite communication services from SpaceX — but only for users invited to join public beta testing of the service on US carrier T-Mobile. This supplements Apple’s existing satellite services supplier, Globalstar.
The stars look different
These are the details as reported by Bloomberg:
- The service is only available to US users.
- T-Mobile’s list of eligible devices for beta testing Starlink/T-Mobiles direct-to-cell services now includes iPhones.
- Some high-end Samsung Galaxy and Android devices are also being tested.
- The service is only available to selected iPhone owners running the latest iOS 18.3 update.
- It will be made available over time to iPhone users on T-Mobile who apply to test the beta service.
- If enabled, iPhone users can use this instead of Apple’s existing Globalstar service. It is enabled using a new toggle in cellular data to enable satellite messaging.
- While use of Starlink requires you to manually make a connection, the Starlink integration is always on if it is on at all.
Apple’s existing satellite-based services include Emergency SOS by Satellite, Roadside Assistance via Satellite, Send Location via Satellite and, with iOS 18, Messages via Satellite. T-Mobile Starlink currently supports sending and receiving text messages, location sharing and texting 911 emergency services while connected to Starlink’s satellites, with plans to pursue voice and data coverage next.
(This support will extend to music and audio podcasts, apparently.)
It is not yet clear whether the new support for Starlink on T-Mobile extends to Apple’s existing services, or if it is confined to those from Starlink.
Commencing countdown?
The partnership between T-Mobile and Starlink was revealed just months before Apple’s initial introduction of its Emergency SOS via Satellite service with Globalstar.
Apple continues to make serious investments in Globalstar, but the new arrangement with T-Mobile hints that the company might also intend support for Starlink. If it chooses to make that support platform wide, rather than carrier-specific as it is now, then it’s possible iPhone users in more than 100 countries might be able to use the service.
The news comes scant days after Starlink announced its own partnership with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which lets passengers access high-speed in-flight internet, even over remote areas such as the North Pole. Oracle is also using Starlink to support some enterprise communications.
Despite the new deal, Apple and Globalstar are not sitting still staring at the Starlink. Just weeks before T-Mobile’s news, an Apple patent appeared in which researchers described a tech that will smoothly shift connections to new satellites as they orbit. That tech could make it possible for the service Apple offers with Globalstar to make and maintain satellite connections more reliably, potentially without pointing your device at the sky. It effectively turns the satellites into the orbital equivalent of mobile network masts.
Apple invested $1.1 billion in GlobalStar in November 2024, taking a 20% stake in the company in exchange for 85% of the satellite carrier’s network capacity. All this activity, and the détente with Starlink, suggest the race toward satellite-based iPhone communications is intensifying. It’s only a matter of time until global network services become a reality.
Which way to go
If you are an existing T-Mobile customer with a recent iPhone (15/16 series) running iOS 18.3 or later you can join the beta to try Starlink. To do so, you must register here, share your personal details and confirm your registration. Once registered, “When you are in an area without traditional or roaming cellular services, your satellite-optimized device will automatically connect to the T-Mobile Starlink network if you are part of the T-Mobile Starlink beta,” according to the carrier.
When connected, your device will display “T-Mobile SpaceX” at the top left of the screen. While you can use 911 to contact emergency services, you are unable to send images of videos via the service. You cannot select satellite when other cellular connection options are available.
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