Do You Want Starlink on Your Phone? Here’s Who Can Get It and How to Sign Up – CNET
No more dead zones? There’s now a way you can get Starlink’s satellite network on your iPhone or Android, but only if you qualify.
Starlink may be coming to your phone sooner than later.Starlink, the satellite constellation that delivers internet access to people in remote regions across the world, is now coming straight to your phone. This new satellite-to-cell service is a partnership between T-Mobile, SpaceX and Starlink, and with it you can send and receive text messages even when you don’t have service — as long as you have a clear view of the sky.In December, T-Mobile opened up the Starlink satellite service beta program to its US customers, and it’s still open for anyone who wants to apply.However, access is limited during the T-Mobile Starlink beta. For now, you must be a T-Mobile customer living in the US and own an “optimized” phone, which most likely means a newer phone. Initially, you had to have one of a handful of Samsung Galaxy devices, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Galaxy Z Flip 6, but the program has since opened up to iPhone users running iOS 18.3 and even to the Google Pixel 9.If you’re interested in trying out the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service for yourself and don’t know where to start, here’s everything you need to know.In August 2022, during a live event, T-Mobile and SpaceX announced Coverage Above and Beyond, a plan for bringing cellphone connectivity everywhere in the US, even in the most remote regions. T-Mobile’s wireless network would leverage Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellites — more than 300 of them — to provide “near complete coverage” to all 500,000 square miles in the US that are not covered by cell towers, essentially eliminating dead zones.If you’re an area without cell service, like Yosemite National Park or the Grand Canyon, your T-Mobile phone can connect to the nearest Starlink satellite, acting like a floating cellphone tower, to give you service, as long as there’s nothing obstructing between your phone and the the sky.This partnership has been years in the making.You can use the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service to send and receive text messages on your supported phone — for free. There are plans to provide coverage for voice calls and data pretty soon, but that may come at a cost.Eventually you’ll be able to surf the web with Starlink.Right now, you need to meet the following requirements if you want to use the Starlink satellite service on your phone:Every Galaxy S24 model supports the Starlink service.You must also obviously be accepted into the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service beta program. The next section will explain how to sign up.As long as you meet the requirements listed in the previous section, go to T-Mobile’s satellite phone service website and register with your full name, email and T-Mobile phone number. Once you’ve been verified, you’ll receive confirmation that you’re on the wait list for the Starlink satellite service via email.Note: If you’re a business, you must register here.Capacity is limited, so not everyone will get to join during the beta launch, but if you have an “optimized” phone, meaning a newer phone, you have a better chance of getting accepted. You should receive a notification, via email or text, when you’re accepted into the program. As the program leaves the beta stage, more people will be able to join.Because the satellite-to-cell service is still in beta, and invitations are slowly being sent out, there’s still a lot we don’t know:We’ll update this story as more information comes in.
