iPhone and Starlink

iPhone gains support for Starlink

Apple has developed support for satellite communication via SpaceX's satellite network Starlink.

Ove Kaufeldt

Published 30 January 2025 - 10:41

Apple has secretly collaborated with the mobile operator T-Mobile in the USA and Elon Musk's company SpaceX to integrate support for the Starlink satellite network in iPhones. According to reports from the publication Bloomberg, this support is now available in the latest iOS 18.3. Currently, only a few American T-Mobile users have gained access to the Starlink support, which is still in the beta stage. In its current form, the connection can only be used for text messages.

Apple introduced satellite connectivity with the launch of the iPhone 14 in 2022 and has previously collaborated with Globalstar for this, but now the initiative has been expanded to include Starlink for American users. It remains to be seen how this partnership will develop and whether the support will be expanded to more functions than just text messages in the future. Potentially, it could also expand support for satellite communication to large parts of the globe, considering the coverage that Starlink offers.