At least some new iPhone models launching next year may support full 5G satellite internet, according to a report this week from The Information.


"Apple plans to add support in upcoming iPhones as early as next year for 5G networks that aren't tethered to Earth's surface, which includes satellites," the report said. "That would give the iPhone full internet access over satellite," it added.

If the earliest 2026 timeframe is met, that means the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the long-rumored foldable iPhone would likely be the first models to support full 5G satellite internet, followed by the standard iPhone 18 around March 2027.

Even if support is added, there is currently no service that delivers full 5G satellite internet directly to a smartphone. Apple's own satellite features on iPhone 14 models and newer are limited to the Emergency SOS feature, the Find My and Messages apps, and roadside assistance, while T-Mobile's Starlink service is also limited to select functions and apps. Both options require you to have a clear view of the sky.

iPhones can already achieve high-speed internet speeds over a satellite connection, when used in conjunction with a Starlink satellite dish, which creates a Wi-Fi network. In the U.S., Starlink charges $50 per month for 50GB of data and $165 per month for unlimited data, while the portable Starlink Mini dish is currently on sale for $299.

The long-term vision is that iPhones would eventually be able to achieve full 5G satellite internet directly, without Starlink hardware.

Apple partners with Globalstar for its iPhone satellite features, while Starlink is offered by SpaceX.

The report outlined four "hints" that suggest a deal between Apple and SpaceX could eventually "be back on the table," despite the fact that Apple and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk have had a rocky relationship over the years.

Those hints, according to the report:

• SpaceX recently added support for the same radio spectrum that Apple uses for its iPhone satellite features.


• Globalstar's executive chairman Jay Monroe has apparently discussed the idea of selling the company for more than $10 billion.


• Globalstar's most recent quarterly earnings report includes a new warning about how the loss of a major customer — believed to be Apple — would likely have a material adverse impact on its finances.


• Apple plans to add full 5G satellite internet support to iPhones as early as next year.

However, it remains to be seen if Apple and Musk can truly bury the bad blood between them.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro Rumored to Support Full 5G Satellite Internet" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Elon Musk's xAI startup today filed a Texas lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, accusing the two companies of conspiring to "ensure their continued dominance" in the AI market.


Earlier this month, Musk threatened to sue Apple and OpenAI because his apps X and Grok have not been featured in the App Store's "Must Have" apps section, and he has now followed through with that threat.

The lawsuit suggests that Apple was "blindsided by major innovations in AI," leading it to team up with OpenAI "in a desperate bid to protect its smartphone monopoly." xAI points to the integrated ChatGPT feature for Siri, because ‌Siri‌'s ability to reference a chatbot is exclusive to OpenAI as of now.

xAI claims that if iPhone users want to access a generative AI chatbot, "they have no choice but to use ChatGPT, even if they would prefer to use more innovative and imaginative products like xAI's Grok." xAI says that while ‌iPhone‌ users can download any chatbot app on their devices, it would not have the same level of "functionality, usability, and integration" as ChatGPT does with ‌Siri‌. There is also clear evidence that Apple is working to integrate other chatbots like Gemini into ‌Siri‌, including a statement from Google CEO Sundar Pichai about talks on that very subject.

The lawsuit states that Apple has been "deprioritizing" the apps of competing generative AI chatbots and apps like X in the ‌App Store‌ and delaying ‌App Store‌ updates, plus it complains that xAI has not been able to get data from billions of ‌iPhone‌ users for training Grok because it is not integrated with ‌Siri‌ like ChatGPT. xAI blames Apple and OpenAI for its failure to "attain more than a few percent of the generative AI chatbot market."

Despite their high rankings in the subject-matter-based "Top Apps" lists, neither the X app nor the Grok app appeared in the "Must-Have Apps" section of the App Store on August 24, 2025. Instead, as reflected in Figure 5 below, the first 11 listed apps in the "Must-Have Apps" section on August 24, 2025 do not include the X app or the Grok app. Neither the X app nor the Grok app appears further down on the list, either. This is also true of other generative AI chatbot and super app competitors.

xAI asks that the court put a stop to Apple and OpenAI's "anticompetitive scheme" and that the two companies be forced to pay damages.
This article, "Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Conspiracy Against X and Grok" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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