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SpaceX’s cellular Starlink system was designed to beam connectivity to phones, but it can now connect to Apple Watches in Japan and Canada.
In a quarterly earnings report, spotted by Ookla analyst Mike Dano, Japanese telecom operator KDDI said that its Au wireless carrier now supports the Apple Watch. This means SpaceX satellites can beam data to the three newest Apple Watch models, the Ultra 3, Series 11, and SE 3.
Au also updated its support page about the compatibility between the Apple Watch and SpaceX’s cellular Starlink. However, the satellite support is only available if Japanese customers buy the cellular version of the Apple Watch and sign up for Au’s Starlink Direct service.
(Credit: KDDI)
“Only text message sending and receiving via Apple Watch messages app is supported,” the earnings presentation adds.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s partner in Canada, Rogers Communications, has also added support for the Apple Watch. Cellular Starlink is available as a free beta to all Canadian users.
The news suggests SpaceX’s partner in the US, T-Mobile, could bring the same capability stateside, where it already supports ground-based cellular plans for the Apple Watch. The carrier didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But T-Mobile’s T-Satellite supports over 70 phone models, including the iPhone 13 and iPhone Air.
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The capability would also enable more Apple Watch owners to receive satellite connectivity whenever they travel through a cellular dead zone. In September, when Apple introduced its new smartwatch models, only the Apple Watch Ultra 3 featured built-in satellite connectivity for emergency response. The same model also features satellite-powered texting and location sharing, but only if you have an active carrier plan associated with the watch.
The news comes as Apple’s satellite partner, Globalstar, is considering selling itself to SpaceX, raising speculation that the cellular Starlink system could ultimately play a larger role in Apple products. The technology can not only enable satellite-powered texting, but also transmit data to a growing number of Android and iOS apps, and even power video calls.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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