Apple’s Unexpected Free Offer To All iPhone 13 Users Is About To Go Live
The latest iPhone software update, iOS 18.5, brought with it a surprise new feature for iPhone 13 users: access to a particular kind of satellite connectivity. The service that will first connect to it, T-Satellite from T-Mobile, goes live on Wednesday, July 23. Here’s all you need to know.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Who’s It For?
First off, this service is available to most Android phones and all iPhones from the iPhone 13 onwards. It’s not the same as the satellite connectivity on the iPhone 14 and later, which uses Globalstar — that depends on hardware the iPhone 13 doesn’t have.
This service is what’s called carrier-supported satellite connectivity, and the only carrier supporting this right now is T-Mobile (though other networks will follow). It uses Starlink satellites, though, unlike many reports earlier in the year, it emphatically does not install Starlink on your phone.
What It Does
It means that if you are outside the regular cellular network, your phone can stay connected via satellite, for text messages on iPhones. More services will be added and when the service goes live, other features will be available to Android users, including multimedia messaging, picture messaging, and short audio clips.