Musk hints at partnership with Apple on iPhone 14 satellite connectivity

Elon Musk confirmed that his private space company SpaceX met with Apple to discuss using its private satellite network, Starlink, for the new satellite connectivity feature on the iPhone 14, teasing a future partnership between the two companies.

Musk tweeted on Thursday that he had spoken with Apple about connecting the recently announced iPhone 14 with Starlink. The iPhone 14 made news when Apple announced on Wednesday that it could connect to satellites in emergency scenarios via newly implemented tech, opening the door to future satellite connections on mobile devices.

“We’ve had some promising conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity. iPhone team is obv super smart,” Musk tweeted. “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.”

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Apple is not the first to announce mobile connections to satellites. SpaceX and T-Mobile announced on Aug. 25 that the two companies were partnering to expand their cellular network via satellite to provide text messaging in areas with limited reception. The features will be available in 2023.

The Chinese cellular company Huawei announced on Tuesday that the Mate 50 devices would be able to send texts via satellite. Huawei devices are not available in the United States.

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Apple announced the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, and both devices received significant hardware upgrades, including the ability to communicate with emergency services via text in areas with no satellite connections. The service is provided through a partnership with the satellite telecoms company Globalstar, according to CNET.