SpaceX Starlink on iPhone? Elon Musk Confirms Talks with Apple

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday he has held talks with Apple regarding SpaceX Starlink connectivity for the iPhone, reports Tesla North.

Last month, SpaceX and T-Mobile in the U.S. announced a plan to bring cellular connectivity to cellphones, leveraging Starlink V2 satellites in 2023. The service would allow for texts and calls to be made anywhere on Earth, thanks to low-Earth orbit Starlink satellites.

“We’ve had some promising conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity,” said Musk on Thursday, adding “iPhone team is [obviously] super smart.”

Musk added, “for sure, closing link from space to phone will work best if phone software & hardware adapt to space-based signals vs Starlink purely emulating cell tower.”

SpaceX will launch Starlink V2 satellites using its latest Starship rocket, but the latter has yet to see its first orbital launch test. That’s expected within the next 12 months, according to Musk. Both SpaceX and T-Mobile got the jump on Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite, by announcing the Starlink service back in August.

Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite service will work on an iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro, a service that will be free for two years to start. The iPhone maker is partnering with Globalstar for the service, which will debut this November after an iOS 16 software update. The service is only available in Canada and the USA at launch.

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