While Apple invested in Globalstar as the satellite service provider for its iPhones, its latest Watch series is now able to connect to the much larger Starlink constellation of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Both Rogers in Canada and KDDI in Japan have now announced that the Apple Watch Ultra 3, the Watch 11 Series, and the Watch SE 3Â support Starlink messaging out in the boondocks.
All of Apple’s 2025 Watch models with cellular connectivity can now take advantage of the Starlink connectivity services that these carriers bring. Rogers offers its Starlink Cellular add-on in a beta form as a free option, and says that Apple Watch 11 users can now message from their timepiece even in locations without cellular coverage via Starlink satellites.
The same goes for KDDI in Japan, where Starlink texting from the Apple Watch is, however, a paid option, just like the one that brings satellite connectivity to most of T-Mobile‘s phones in the US. “In addition to sending and receiving text messages, Apple Watch can also share your location and receive emergency alert emails,” tips KDDI.
The move likely means that T-Mobile will bring the Starlink satellite option to the Apple Watch in the US as well, just as it does for iPhones. Apple, which pioneered the emergency satellite service on its iPhones as far back as 2022, is now reportedly looking for an expansion of its reach to include many more options that its Globalstar partner may not be able to deliver without a major constellation upgrade or a tie-up with a larger player like SpaceX.
Apple wants to offer richer media messaging that includes photos, as well as access of third-party app developers to its satellite connectivity option. Apple Maps will also be joining the satellite bandwagon so that iPhone users can have access to navigation in areas without cellular coverage, just like Google Maps on the T-Satellite Starlink service.
Since the iPhone 18 is likely to support the 5G NTN protocol for non-terrestrial connectivity, its modem would allow it to stay tethered by expanding cell tower coverage with satellite signal where needed, too. After SpaceX acquired Dish’s spectrum, Elon Musk already has big ambitions for Starlink as a standalone carrier providing global 5G coverage via satellite, albeit at slower than terrestrial networks’ speeds of about 100 Mbps.
This way, users won’t need the Starlink Mini dish when they roam about, and can directly hook up to satellite broadband with their iPhones or Android handsets. These plans hinge on launching thousands of Starlink direct-to-cell V3 satellites, which SpaceX will only begin to do in 2026. Until then, limited Starlink connectivity is available for the Apple Watch and the iPhone through various carrier services still.
Daniel Zlatev – Senior Tech Writer – 1945 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2021
Wooed by tech since the industrial espionage of Apple computers and the times of pixelized Nintendos, Daniel went and opened a gaming club when personal computers and consoles were still an expensive rarity. Nowadays, fascination is not with specs and speed but rather the lifestyle that computers in our pocket, house, and car have shoehorned us in, from the infinite scroll and the privacy hazards to authenticating every bit and move of our existence.