Updated May 9 with analysis of the new service and how satellite features are expanding.
When Apple releases the next iPhone operating software, iOS 18.5 (and it’s imminent: read this for exactly when it will land), it will have a feature nobody was expecting: satellite connectivity for the iPhone 13 series.This is something previously restricted to iPhone 14 series phones and later. In the next few days, Apple will add a highly useful (and potentially life-saving) feature.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro is to gain satellite connectivity provided by carriers.
The software update that makes this possible is free though the carrier may or may not charge for the service. And this service works differently from what the iPhone had previously — arguably easier to use and described by some as a game-changer. More on that below.
Here’s why it’s a surprise: Apple introduced satellite connectivity for emergency text messages with the iPhone 14. But the iPhone 13 didn’t have the right hardware to make this happen. It still doesn’t, obviously.
Instead, what Apple will bring to the iPhone with iOS 18.5 is what are called “carrier-provided satellite features,” as Apple describes it.
In other words, this service is dependent on carriers like T-Mobile which, as 9to5Mac describes it, works differently. “By contrast, carrier-provided satellite services behave more like conventional cellular connections and require a participating plan to work,” it says.
Other iPhones, specifically iPhone 14 and newer handsets, have had this capability since iOS 18.3 was released, but adding this capability to the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max wasn’t foreseen.
These services work when the carrier joins up with a satellite company. For instance, in the U.S., the carrier T-Mobile has teamed up with Starlink so that it can deliver satellite connectivity to cellphones.
“In the United States, T-Mobile has partnered with SpaceX to bring Starlink satellite-based internet connectivity to network dead zones. The service is currently in beta until July. Any iPhone user with any carrier can register to test the service before it goes live. T-Mobile will also sell service to any iPhone user, regardless of what carrier the iPhone uses,” 9to5Mac says.
It’s worth remembering that this emphatically does not install Starlink on your iPhone — something that scaremongers suggested back in February 2025.
Instead, this update will simply provide support for satellite features supported by carriers, whoever the satellite provider and whoever the carrier.
And the reason it’s been described as a game-changer is that you don’t need to point your iPhone at the sky to find a passing satellite, which is how things have worked with the system introduced with the iPhone 14.
In case you’re wondering how we know this is going to happen, the source of information is pretty pristine: it’s from Apple. When it launched the release candidate beta for iOS 18.5 on Tuesday, May 6, the release notes gave it away.
“Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models),” the last note read.
Satellite features are becoming increasingly important. For a start, the hardware capabilities in the iPhone 14 and onwards allows roadside services to find you when you’re stranded somewhere out of signal area — something which came to the U.K. recently as Apple Roadside Assistance via satellite with Green Flag.
However, as Tom’s Guide has reported, this new system is something different. “Of course, this won’t be universally available the way it is on iPhone 14. You will need to be signed on for a plan with satellite connectivity if you want your iPhone 13 to connect to communicate via space. Thankfully those are a lot more common than they once were,” it says.
The report also notes that Apple’s support page listing Wireless network provider support and features for iPhone in the United States and Canada only has one carrier in an extensive list which is describes as a “network provider provided satellite features,” and that is T-Mobile.
This may change. Already in the U.K., Vodafone has started testing video calls via satellite. The company says it’s the only satellite service in the world to offer mobile broadband directly to regular 4G or 5G phones. And it scheduled when the service will go live. “Vodafone aims to offer the first commercial direct-to-smartphone broadband satellite service in Europe from later in 2025 and 2026,” Vodafone says. The Vodafone service is in conjunction with AST SpaceMobile, a company based in Texas which has also made a deal with AT&T to supply similar services in the U.S. which will probably follow the European roll-out.
With this additional capability for the iPhone 13, Apple is demonstrating that older phones need not miss out on new features.
