Elon Musk says SpaceX discussed iPhone satellite service with Apple, whose iPhone 14 has satellite emergency messaging
- The two companies had ‘promising conversations’, Musk said, but it was unclear if the talks were ongoing
- The comments come a day after Apple announced its Emergency SOS via Satellite feature for the new iPhone 14
The companies have had “promising conversations”, SpaceX chief executive officer Musk said Thursday on Twitter, adding that Apple’s iPhone team is “super smart”. It was unclear if the talks were ongoing.
The comments came 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 partnered with Globalstar Inc to power the satellite infrastructure, the network provider said in a regulatory filing Wednesday.
Apple and SpaceX, whose full name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
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 tap into 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, 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 in that it will allow for communication between consumers. Apple’s short length satellite texting service is only designed to message emergency responders, the company said Wednesday.
The satellite infrastructure will allow 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 may not normally work.