Apple’s Silent Upgrade: Say Goodbye to iPhone’s Radio Holes
If you love going off-grid—far from cell towers and Wi-Fi—your iPhone is about to become even more useful. Apple already lets users send emergency SOS messages and update their location via satellite. Now, it’s taking things a step further: full-fledged satellite texting is coming to the U.S., thanks to a partnership with T-Mobile and SpaceX.
The groundwork for this has been in motion for a while. Back in August 2022, T-Mobile USA and SpaceX announced their plan to enable satellite-powered messaging. Fast forward to December 2024, and T-Mobile launched a beta test—but only for select Samsung devices. Now, things are shifting. According to Bloomberg, Apple has quietly added support for satellite texting in iOS 18.3, and T-Mobile has confirmed that beta testers with an iPhone will need to update to access it.
How It Works and What to Expect
With SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, T-Mobile iPhone users will soon be able to send text messages even in remote areas with zero cellular coverage. And this is just the beginning—Bloomberg reports that data and voice calls over satellite are in the works.
Apple hasn’t shared exact details about which iPhones will be compatible, but Bloomberg hints at “the latest iPhone models.” The feature is also expected to arrive on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 this fall. Meanwhile, Android 15 will bring similar functionality, with Samsung’s Z Fold and S24 models among the first to support it.
A New Era of Connectivity
Apple first introduced satellite-based Emergency SOS with the iPhone 14, using Globalstar’s network. That system requires users to manually align their device with a satellite to send a distress message. With Starlink’s satellites, the process will be much simpler—your iPhone could stay connected even while sitting in your pocket.
For now, T-Mobile’s satellite texting beta is limited to the U.S., but SpaceX is already working on global carrier partnerships. If all goes as planned, this could change mobile connectivity as we know it, keeping users connected even in the most remote corners of the world—no cell towers required.
If you’re on T-Mobile and running iOS 18.3, you may soon be part of this major leap forward.
