iOS 18.5 just brought satellite support to older iPhones — but there's a catch

iOS 18.5 is coming next week, and it has a surprise feature for those of you still rocking an older iPhone. Or more specifically, those of you that have an iPhone 13 series phone. Almost four years after the phone first got released, satellite connectivity is coming.

iPhone 14 was notable for being the first iPhone to support satellite connectivity, with native support that utilized Apple's own system (powered by Globalstar). The iPhone 13 missed out, but now Apple has confirmed that the new update will let the phone connect to carrier-provided satellite service (via Macrumors).

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.

T-Mobile is a notable example, having partnered up with Starlink to offer satellite messaging for iPhone users. Other carriers, like Verizon, also offer satellite services — but it seems those don't work on iPhone. In fact, Apple's support pages only list T-Mobile as offering carrier satellite connectivity. Which is kind of a bummer.

Benefits of satellite communication

Cell service is probably better than it's ever been right now, but that doesn't mean it's ubiquitous. There are plenty of areas out of major urban spaces that don't have reliable signal, and communicating via satellite is the only way to get in touch with another person.

That's especially important in an emergency, and you find yourself needing help — and fast. Satellites could mean the difference between life and death out there.

So the fact that Apple is adding extra support for satellite communication to older phones is definitely a good thing. It may only be one phone, and the amount of connectivity is limited, but if it helps save lives then you'll hear no complaints here.

Here's just hoping that more carriers start offering iPhone-compatible satellite plans. And that, hopefully, Apple tries to bring the feature to older devices like iPhone 12 and maybe even iPhone 11, before they stop receiving iOS updates.

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