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.