Elon Musk's Starlink have finally launched a game-changing iOS and Android feature after months of testing.
Losing connection can be dangerous when you need it most.
Elon Musk's Starlink satellites have been promising to solve this problem for years, and now that solution is finally here for everyone.
T-Mobile has just launched its satellite-to-mobile service that lets you send texts from literally anywhere on Earth, even if you're miles away from the nearest cell tower.
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After six months of testing, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert announced that their 'T-Satellite' service is officially out of beta and available to all customers.
What is T-Mobile's new satellite service?
By linking up to over 650 low-Earth orbit satellites, the service provides coverage in areas 'far beyond the reach of traditional networks.'
Already, nearly two million people have used the service to text from remote trails, isolated work sites, and during emergency situations where regular cell service has failed.
This could be a lifesaver for people stuck in remote locations or trying to reach family during disasters and extreme weather when cell towers are down.
During the recent LA fires, over 410,000 people used T-Satellite to contact family and friends when regular cell networks were overwhelmed or destroyed.
Who can access T-Satellite?
Satellite-based connectivity is available for T-Mobile subscribers.
T-Mobile Experience Beyond subscribers get the service included for free, while other T-Mobile customers pay $10 per month to access satellite texting. AT&T and Verizon users can also access T-Satellite by paying the $10 monthly subscription fee.
According to the provider, the service supports more than 600 different smartphone models, including iPhones and Android devices. If you have an iPhone 14 or later running iOS 18.3 or newer, you can sign up for T-Satellite service.
It's also worth mentioning that iPhone users already have Apple's built-in satellite functionality that works with Globalstar satellites.
What can you do with T-Satellite?
T-Mobile's satellite service is limited to texting with iMessage and SMS.
Users can send texts when they're completely out of range of cellular towers or Wi-Fi connections. The service is only meant for messaging and doesn't offer any data connectivity.
That said, the platform has been optimised to work with several popular apps, including Google, AllTrails, AccuWeather, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter). When you're connected to a Starlink satellite, iPhone users will see a small 'SAT' icon in their status bar.
According to MacRumors, Apple's built-in satellite service supports 'sending and receiving messages, sharing location via Find My, connecting with emergency services, getting satellite-based weather updates, and arranging roadside assistance via satellite.'
Apple also does not charge for its Satellite functionality.