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.

The move is surprising for many reasons but mostly because it presents a direct challenge to Apple's existing Globalstar service.

In a move that caught many by surprise, Apple has quietly integrated Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network into the latest iPhone software update, iOS 18.3. This new addition gives iPhone users an alternative to Apple’s previous satellite service,

Apple is reportedly partnering with SpaceX and T-Mobile to integrate Starlink satellite support into iPhone software, according to Bloomberg. The partnership would offer some T-Mobile customers an alternative to Apple's existing satellite communication service,

T-Mobile's cellular Starlink beta program was initially restricted to five Samsung phone models. But the carrier has quietly expanded it to select iPhones running iOS 18.3.

The latest update Apple rolled out for the iPhone allows T-Mobile customers — a select few, for now — to be able to send text messages even in locations where they have no coverage. iOS 18.3 adds support for SpaceX and T-Mobile's direct-to-cell satellite service,

It will be made available over time to iPhone users on T-Mobile who apply to test the beta service. If enabled, iPhone users can use this instead of Apple’s existing Globalstar service. It is enabled using a new toggle in cellular data to enable satellite messaging.