SpaceX has held talks with Apple about using Starlink connectivity for the iPhone maker’s new satellite features, Elon Musk said.
The companies had “promising conversations,” SpaceX chief executive Musk said on Twitter on Thursday, adding that Apple’s iPhone team was “super smart.”
An announcement that comes a day after Apple announced Emergency SOS via Satellite, which will allow iPhone 14 users to ping emergency services using satellite networks in areas without standard cellular reception.
For the service, Apple has partnered with Globalstar to power the satellite infrastructure, the network provider said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.
Last month, Musk’s SpaceX and US wireless carrier T-Mobile preempted Apple’s long-awaited announcement by revealing that users of phones on T-Mobile’s network could access SpaceX satellites to send text messages. in areas without cellular connectivity.
The collaboration is dependent on SpaceX launching an upgraded version of its Starlink satellites.
This partnership, which won’t launch until late next year at the earliest, will differ from Apple’s functionality in that it will enable communication between consumers.
Apple’s short-lived satellite texting service is only designed to send messages to emergency responders, the company said Wednesday.
The satellite infrastructure will enable integration with Apple’s Find My app, allowing hikers and explorers to be more accurately tracked by friends in areas where GPS or cellular services don’t normally work.
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