Elon Musk confirms Apple quietly adds Starlink to iPhones in iOS 18.3: medium res images, music, audio podcasts should work fine, next-gen will be faster.

In 2022, Apple became the first mainstream smartphone maker to add satellite connectivity to its mobile devices, debuting a new Emergency SOS via Satellite feature in the iPhone 14 lineup. Now, it’s taking its satellite features in a new — and arguably more useful — direction with support for the SpaceX Starlink network.

Apple has been “secretly working” with SpaceX and the result is that the latest iOS software update means iPhones can access Starlink.

Apple introduced the "Emergency SOS" feature, which relies on Globalstar's satellite network. There are now indications, however, that Apple is exploring support for Starlink's satellite network. Following the release of iOS 18.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk seemingly confirmed the partnership on X, writing: "Medium-resolution images, music, and audio podcasts should work with the current generation Starlink direct-to-phone constellation. The next-generation constellation will support medium-resolution video."

The website claims that Apple is in secret talks with SpaceX and T-Mobile US to add support for Starlink’s satellite network. In fact, the latest iOS 18.3 update, which was released on January 27, apparently contains “under-the-radar” support for Starlink, Bloomberg says.

Starlink support appears to be a secret iOS 18.3 feature for iPhones, some of which now support satellite communication services from SpaceX — but only for users invited to join public beta testing of the service on US carrier T-Mobile. This supplements Apple’s existing satellite services supplier, Globalstar.