Apple has been “secretly working” with SpaceX and the result is that the latest iOS software update means iPhones can access Starlink.

T-Mobile is expanding its Starlink beta program. Now, some iPhone and Samsung Galaxy users can connect to SpaceX's satellites.

As of iOS 18.3, T-Mobile subscribers with a compatible iPhone and Starlink beta access are able to connect to Starlink satellites, reports

T-Mobile opened beta registration for Starlink in December but it was limited to Samsung phones, including the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and S24 phones with no mention of the iPhone. However, it did promise that Starlink would “support the vast majority of modern smartphones.”

The latest iOS 18.3 update enables the satellite texting feature offered by T-Mobile through Starlink for select iPhone users.

In 2022, Apple became the first mainstream smartphone maker to add satellite connectivity to its mobile devices, debuting a new Emergency SOS via Satellite feature in the iPhone 14 lineup. Now, it’s taking its satellite features in a new — and arguably more useful — direction with support for the SpaceX Starlink network.

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.

Bloomberg News first reported on Tuesday that Apple, SpaceX and T-Mobile had been secretively working to add support for the network.

Apple first introduced satellite connectivity features to the iPhone with the release of the iPhone 14 in 2022. The

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T-Mobile has signed a contract with Elon Musk's Starlink to offer satellite coverage for text messages. A beta is also running with the iPhone.