Apple Surprises Users With Starlink Beta, Teams Up With Elon Musk's SpaceX And T-Mobile To Bring Satellite Texting For iPhone Users In iOS 18.3
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has joined forces with Elon Musk's SpaceX and T-Mobile US Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) to bring Starlink satellite texting capabilities to iPhones.
What Happened: Apple has integrated the Starlink satellite network into its latest iPhone software update iOS 18.3, released on Monday, reported Bloomberg.
T-Mobile has initiated a limited beta test, allowing some iPhone users to experience the Starlink service.
Participants in the beta received messages from T-Mobile, informing them of their inclusion in the Starlink program. The company said that the test will initially support select smartphones, with plans to expand to more devices, the report noted.
Currently, the Starlink service is limited to texting, but SpaceX and T-Mobile aim to include data and voice capabilities in the future.
The service is available only in the U.S. for now, contrasting with Apple’s satellite connectivity provider Globalstar (AMEX:GSAT) service, which operates in multiple countries.
Why It Matters: This partnership marks a significant shift, as T-Mobile had previously only mentioned Starlink compatibility with Samsung Electronics Co. (OTC:SSNLF) devices.
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T-Mobile has also expanded the beta to include some users with Android 15, the newest version of Alphabet Inc's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google's operating system.
Both the Starlink and Apple satellite services are intended for use in remote areas, like hiking trails, where cellular coverage is unavailable.
The Apple satellite service is supported on most modern iPhone models, and the company is also planning to introduce it on the Ultra smartwatch later this year, the report noted.
T-Mobile US is set to discuss its fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. The company’s third-quarter revenue reached $20.16 billion, surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of $20.01 billion. Apple’s first-quarter earnings report is expected on Jan. 30.
Price Action: Apple’s stock rose by 3.65% on Tuesday, ending the day at $238.26, and saw a further increase of 0.038% in after-hours trading, according to data from Benzinga Pro. TMUS’s stock dropped 0.17% on Tuesday, closing at $221.06, but gained 0.12% in after-hours trading.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com
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