T-Mobile Expands Starlink Beta to IPhone
If you have T-Mobile and an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device, you now have access to Starlink—potentially.
Here’s the scoop: Back in December, T-Mobile announced a partnership between itself and SpaceX to bring Starlink service to customers. Then, earlier this month , the company began accepting beta users, but only those with certain latest Samsung devices.
However, that changed when Apple released iOS 18.3 this week . It appears that the iPhone maker is working with SpaceX and T-Mobile to bring Starlink support to the iPhone as well , although none of this has been announced by Apple as part of the update.
T-Mobile is not allowing all iPhone users into the beta yet. If you sign in, you will receive a text message that reads: “You are participating in the T-Mobile Starlink beta. Now you can stay connected and send text messages via satellite from virtually anywhere. To start enjoying coverage beyond that, update to iOS.” 18.3″.
How to Join the T-Mobile Starlink Beta
If you want to take part in T-Mobile’s Starlink beta, you’ll first need a compatible device. As for Samsung, these are the Galaxy S24 5G, Galaxy S24 Plus 5G, Galaxy S24 Ultra 5G, Galaxy Z Fold 6 5G and Galaxy Z Flip 6 5G. Compatible with any iPhone running iOS 18.3.
From here, you will need to go to the official Starlink T-Mobile page and select “Sign up now” or scroll down to the registration section. You will need to enter your first and last name, email address and phone number.
Don’t worry if you can’t take part yet: T-Mobile says it will expand the plan soon, so expect more locations to open soon.
What’s so special about satellite communications?
The ability to connect your smartphone to satellites is literally a game changer. This means you no longer have to worry about losing cellular service or Wi-Fi connectivity. As long as you have a good view of the sky, you can connect to the outside world.
To be clear, this feature only works if you don’t have access to cellular service. At this point, your phone can connect to nearby satellites. You won’t be able to manually connect to satellites if you have a network connection.
For now, T-Mobile’s beta version of Starlink only works for text messages. But according to Elon Musk , current Starlink technology should support medium-resolution images as well as music and podcast streaming. But even if T-Mobile currently only supports text messaging, you can imagine what a lifeline this is. If you don’t have cell service and would otherwise be unable to contact emergency services or important contacts, you can connect to a Starlink satellite and send text messages to either (or both) of them.
However, this is not the first time that an iPhone has managed to connect to satellites. Apple has offered satellite connectivity since 2022, when it debuted the ” Emergency SOS via Satellite ” feature on the iPhone 14. The company expanded this feature in iOS 18 : Previously, you could only contact emergency services or roadside assistance via satellite, but since then big update, you can send messages to anyone.
For the past two and a half years, Apple has worked exclusively with Globalstar Inc. in the field of satellite communications . However, moving forward, if you have an iPhone and are enrolled in the T-Mobile beta, your phone will connect to SpaceX satellites by default. From here, you can manually connect to Apple’s exclusive satellite services if you choose. Interestingly, while Apple’s satellite feature forces you to point your phone at the sky to find the nearest satellite, the Starlink service should connect automatically.