With iOS 18.3, iPhone users with T-Mobile can connect to Starlink satellites. T-Mobile Starlink is in beta and requires signing up. It currently supports text messages and contacting emergency services when you don't have cell coverage.

In a surprising move, Apple has partnered with SpaceX and T-Mobile US to integrate Starlink satellite connectivity into iPhones, marking a major shift in Apple’s approach to satellite communication. This new feature was quietly introduced in a recent iOS 18.

Satellite messaging through Starlink supports "medium resolution images, music & audio podcasts," in a comment by Musk. With its arrival, T-Mobile states that all of its "postpaid customers" will receive access to this service for free. This will last throughout the testing period, but it may become more "limited" once it's out and into the public.

Apple secretly partners with SpaceX and T-Mobile to integrate Starlink satellite support into iPhones with iOS 18.3.

Some iPhone devices are now able to test SpaceX's Starlink Direct-to-Cell functionality. This means you can get direct coverage from satellites in space. However, the trial is currently limited to text messages via satellite, with voice and data functionality planned for the future, according to T-Mobile.

Imagine being stranded in the middle of nowhere with only your phone and the dreaded No Service indicator, without wifi or mobile data. Isn't that annoying? Elon Musk's SpaceX may hold the key to Apple's potential answer.