T-Mobile customers in the United States using compatible Samsung Galaxy phones have begun to see and, in some cases, use messaging over Starlink satellites.
Announced a few months ago, the feature is now appearing in a limited rollout. Several Galaxy S24-series owners report active access, whereas previously the option showed up on supported phones but did not function.
Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy, and Products at T-Mobile, described the partnership as a milestone: “T‑Mobile Starlink pairs a major low-Earth orbit constellation with terrestrial cellular spectrum, enabling the phone in your pocket to work in parts of the U.S. that either have never had ground-based coverage or likely never will.”
“This is an important engineering achievement and brings us closer to giving T‑Mobile customers confidence that—if they can see the sky—they’ll have coverage,” Katz added.
The enabled functionality allows users to send and receive text messages directly via satellite when terrestrial networks are unavailable.
A screenshot shared by a Reddit user during the rollout shows key details about the service on-device, including an indicator that confirms whether a user is subscribed to Starlink messaging through T‑Mobile.
T-Mobile/Starlink….I’m in! No text or email received…..
byu/RoosterIntelligent32 intmobile
This initial availability appears to be part of a beta phase. Some users who signed up for early access say they’ve been granted the feature, but T‑Mobile has not sent widespread notifications or emails to alert eligible customers.
Currently, Starlink messaging is limited to high-end Samsung Galaxy models released in 2024. Devices running One UI 6.1 or One UI 6.1.1 are reportedly compatible; however, users on the beta One UI 7.0 build (based on Android 15) appear excluded for now.
Access to satellite messaging is also tied to specific T‑Mobile plans at launch. Wider availability across more subscription tiers is expected to roll out over the coming months.
T‑Mobile’s roadmap envisions expanding satellite support beyond text to include data connectivity and voice calling. Those features could transform off-grid communication, but they are unlikely to ship immediately as the carrier and SpaceX continue to refine their integration.
Satellite messaging offers an important safety net in situations such as natural disasters, remote travel, and locations with unreliable terrestrial coverage by allowing basic communication when cellular networks are down or out of reach.
(Photo by Mika Baumeister)
See also: Telecoms in 2025: AI and next-gen infrastructure among key trends
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