SpaceX has held talks with Apple Inc about using Starlink connectivity for the iPhone’s new satellite features, Elon Musk said. The companies have had ‘promising conversations,’ SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Thursday, September 8th, on Twitter, adding that Apple’s iPhone team is ‘super smart.’ The comments came the following day after Apple announced Emergency SOS via Satellite, allowing iPhone 14 users to ping emergency services using satellite networks in areas without standard cellular reception. Apple has partnered with Globalstar Inc to power the satellite infrastructure for the service, the network provider said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, September 7th.
Last month, Musk’s SpaceX and US wireless carrier T-Mobile US Inc pre-empted Apple’s long-anticipated announcement by revealing that phone users on T-Mobile’s network would be able to use SpaceX satellites to send text messages in areas without cellular connectivity. The collaboration, however, depends on SpaceX launching an upgraded version of its Starlink satellites, known as Version 2.
That partnership, which won’t launch until the end of next year at the earliest, will differ from Apple’s feature because it will allow for communication between consumers. The company said Wednesday, September 7th, that Apple’s short-length satellite texting service is only designed for messaging emergency responders.
