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Starlink Is Coming to Phones in 2 Weeks. Check Whether You’ll Get It for Free

The new partnership between T-Mobile and Starlink aims to eliminate wireless dead zones — regardless of which cellphone carrier you use.

In two weeks, you could be able to send a text message — or even a photo, video or voice note — from deep inside a national park or mountain pass. That’s the future T-Mobile envisions, as its partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service gets ready to launch on July 23. The alliance will provide direct-to-cell messaging service, called T-Satellite, which will also be available to AT&T and Verizon cellphone customers.

T-Mobile says its goal is to «eliminate mobile dead zones for good» by way of 657 Starlink satellites that’ll be used exclusively for cellphone service. T-Satellite has been in beta testing since December 2024, with nearly 1.8 million users signing up so far.

The direct-to-cell messaging service represents a major step forward in mobile technology: It works with most phones made during the last four years, according to T-Mobile, instead of requiring dedicated hardware. It’ll be available to T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon customers for $10 a month — or free for anyone on T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond or Go5G Next plans. 

«At the end of the day, it’s nice to be able to send a selfie when you’re in a place where there is no coverage, but it’s vital to be able to connect to emergency services,» Mike Katz, T-Mobile president of marketing, strategy and products, told CNET’s Jeff Carlson. «We just think that with a technology like this, no customer should ever be in a situation where they are unconnected in an emergency.»

However, you might still benefit even if you don’t sign up, as T-Mobile will make the service free for emergency uses. The company said 911 texting will be available later this year to «any mobile customer with a compatible device, regardless of carrier or whether or not they are subscribed to the service.» 

What is T-Satellite?

T-Satellite is a partnership between T-Mobile and Starlink that will allow direct-to-cell SMS messaging accessibility in areas where there is no cellular coverage. Starlink has more than 7,000 low-Earth orbit satellites in the sky, and now, 657 of them will be devoted entirely to T-Satellite. The goal is to expand coverage into the 500,000 square miles of the US that traditional cell towers can’t reach, says T-Mobile.

“When you leave the terrestrial network and you go to a place where there’s no network, your phone will automatically search for and connect to the satellite network, which is quite different than any other of the satellite systems that are out there that force you to manually connect, and you have to point your phone up to the sky,» says Katz.

Satellite connectivity in cellphones isn’t exactly new — iPhones have had it since 2022 — but it’s typically been reserved for SOS messaging to connect you with an emergency dispatcher. On July 23, T-Satellite users will be able to send SMS texts on iPhone and Android. Android users will also get MMS immediately, with iPhone support “to follow.” 

This means users will be able to send images and audio clips in addition to standard text messages. In October, the service will expand to include data support in third-party apps like AccuWeather, AllTrails, WhatsApp and X. The access takes advantage of hooks built into iOS and Android software, so developers can make their apps capable of sending data through the narrow amounts of bandwidth available via satellite.

This is far beyond what the other phone carriers have launched so far in the satellite realm — largely due to T-Mobile’s partnership with Starlink. AT&T and Verizon have both partnered with AST SpaceMobile for satellite messaging, and Verizon told CNET’s Eli Blumenthal last year that it’s still planning on working with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which launched its first 27 satellites on April 28, 2025

“Despite things that our competitors have said, they are way, way behind on this technology,” says Katz. 

How much will T-Satellite cost?

On July 23, T-Satellite will be available to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon customers for a standalone $10 per month. But there’s one exception: Customers on T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan ($100 per month for one line) or the Go5G Next plan will get the service for included in the cost of the plan going forward, and those on the Experience More plan ($85 per month) will get it through the end of the year. 

Even if you don’t pay the $10 a month, T-Mobile says 911 texting will be available later this year “to any mobile customer with a compatible device, regardless of carrier.”

If you’re a Verizon or AT&T customer, you’ll have to activate T-Satellite as a second eSIM on your phone to take advantage of the service. You can find instructions on setting up the eSIM here

Which phones are supported?

Most phones released in the past couple of years will work with T-Satellite. Here are the devices that are currently compatible with the beta version:

Apple

  • iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 (all models)

Google

  • Google Pixel 9
  • Google Pixel 9A
  • Google Pixel 9 Pro
  • Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
  • Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Motorola

  • Moto G Stylus 2025
  • Moto Razr 2024 
  • Moto Razr Plus 2024 
  • Moto Razr 2025
  • Moto Razr Plus 2025
  • Moto Razr Ultra 2025
  • Moto Razr Ultra Plus 2025

Samsung

  • Samsung Galaxy A25 5G SE*
  • Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy A36
  • Samsung Galaxy A36 SE
  • Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy A54 5G*
  • Samsung Galaxy S21
  • Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
  • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
  • Samsung Galaxy S22
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 FE
  • Samsung Galaxy S23
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
  • Samsung Galaxy S24
  • Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus
  • Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy S24 FE
  • Samsung Galaxy S25
  • Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus
  • Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
  • Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 Pro
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
    *Some non-T-Mobile device variants are not satellite-capable.

When T-Satellite launches on July 23, the following devices will also be compatible: 

Motorola

  • Motorola Edge 2024
  • Moto G 2024
  • Moto G Stylus 2024
  • Moto G 5G 2024
  • Moto G Stylus 5G 2024

Samsung

  • Samsung Galaxy A14
  • Samsung Galaxy A15*
  • Samsung Galaxy A16
  • Samsung Galaxy A35
  • Samsung Galaxy A53*
  • Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro
    *Some non-T-Mobile device variants are not satellite-capable.

T-Mobile

  • T-Mobile Revvl 7
  • T-Mobile Revvl 7 Pro

How to try T-Mobile’s Starlink service today

If you’re anxious to try T-Mobile’s Starlink satellite messaging service and don’t want to wait until July 23, you can still attempt to sign up for the beta. I wouldn’t hold out too much hope, though — when I entered my information, I got a message back saying, “Due to high demand, we’re admitting beta testers on a rolling basis. Keep an eye out for an update in the coming weeks.”

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for July 14, #1486

Here are hints and the answer for today’s tough Wordle for July 14, No. 1,486.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.


Today’s Wordle puzzle is a pretty tough one. But if you guess the right vowels early, you’ve got a shot. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: Starting off

Today’s Wordle answer begins with a vowel.

Wordle hint No. 4: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with U.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to canceling or reversing something.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is UNDID.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, July 13, No. 1485 was GNOME.

Recent Wordle answers

July 9, No. 1481: NOVEL

July 10, No. 1482: JUMPY

July 11, No. 1483: BRAND

July 12, No. 1484: EXILE

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q. 

Some solid starter words to try:

ADIEU

TRAIN

CLOSE

STARE

NOISE

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Technologies

The Ridiculously Thin Galaxy Z Flip 7 Is Sturdy AF. Ask Me How I Know

Commentary: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 comes with a welcome overhaul to its design. And I can definitely vouch for the new phone’s sturdiness.

If you’re concerned about how durable Samsung’s foldable phones are, I’m here to tell you not to worry. And that’s especially true when it comes to the new Galaxy Z Flip 7, which holds its own among today’s best smartphones.

After less than six hours with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, I accidentally performed my own informal drop test. At a catered affair in Brooklyn, I walked outside to get a view of the waterfront, and when I pulled the Z Flip 7 out of my pocket, I fumbled it. I watched helplessly as Samsung’s newest foldable phone fell to the ground. The noise it made when it clacked against the concrete caused everyone around to look at me with a knowing, sympathetic expression that said, «Aw, that’s a shame. Your phone is toast.»

Have you ever dropped your phone? There’s that Schrödinger’s cat-like moment before you pick it up when you’re anxious to see if the phone survived.

Fortunately, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 was fine. The 4.1-inch cover screen didn’t have any cracks or scuffs. The 6.9-inch inner display was unharmed because the phone was shut. The only tell that it kissed the ground was a tiny scuff on the bottom of the phone near the microphones. Samsung’s claim that its new «Armour Flex Hinge» is built to withstand impact is indeed true.

In the early days of foldable phones, one of the biggest unknowns was their durability. It’s amazing that about six years later, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 can handle being dropped on concrete like it had landed on a velvet pillow. Now, I still wouldn’t take the Flip 7 (or any foldable phone) to the beach, as it can only withstand particles that are 1mm or larger. So going to a confetti factory would be fine, but a salt factory is a definite no-no.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s thin design

The star of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event was the Galaxy Z Fold 7. At 8.9mm thick when closed, the Fold 7 is ridiculously thin. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 looks like it also went on Ozempic, but it’s 13.7mm thick when closed. That’s slim, but not Fold 7 slim. Why couldn’t the Flip 7 be super slim like the Fold 7? I just keep imagining a Galaxy Z Flip 8 with the same thinness as the Fold 7.

For some perspective, here’s how the Flip 7 compares to its clamshell kinfolk:

Galaxy Z Flip 7 thickness vs. other flip phones

Phone Closed Open
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 13.7mm 6.5mm
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 14.9mm 6.9mm
Motorola Razr Plus 15.32mm 7.09mm
Motorola Razr Ultra 15.69mm 7.19mm
Motorola Razr (2025) 15.85mm 7.25mm

The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s big cover screen

The original Galaxy Z Flip had a tiny, 1.1-inch pill-shaped cover display. It was perfect for showing the time but pretty much useless for anything else. The defining feature on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is its 4.1-inch cover display. The screen looks incredible. I was checking my notifications on the screen under direct sunlight and was able to read everything. One of the hang-ups I had reviewing the Galaxy Z Flip 6 was switching from the inner screen to the cover display outdoors. There would be times on sunny days where I could barely make out what was on the cover display, despite having no issues with the main screen.

Samsung has increased the maximum brightness of the Flip 7’s cover screen to 2,600 nits, which is the same as the inner display. Both screens now top out at 120Hz, too, which should make for a much more consistent experience by having system animations, gameplay and scrolling through a social feed look super smooth.

The 6.9-inch inner screen is big, but it doesn’t feel unwieldy when I use it. The Flip 6 had a 6.7-inch display, but that extra 0.2 inches on the Flip 7’s screen makes it feel much bigger, which my middle-aged eyes are grateful for.

In terms of functionality, the cover screen’s natural state is widgets. And some, like Spotify’s widget, are all I need in lieu of using full apps. But I want apps on the home screen, so I need to enable this functionality in the Labs section of Settings and download the MultiStar app. It takes a couple of minutes to set up, but I do wish the interface supported apps by default.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cameras

The Flip 7 has three cameras: a 50-megapixel wide-angle, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel selfie camera (in the main 6.9-inch screen). The cameras are the same as those on the Flip 6 and Flip 7 FE. But the phones run on different processors, so differences or improvements in photos and videos (if any) will come from Samsung’s processing and machine learning.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the Galaxy Z Flip 7 so far:

Galaxy Z Flip 7 final thoughts for now

Samsung gave its foldable line a major overhaul. And while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 feels like an entirely different phone from previous Folds, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 seems like a nice refinement. I will say that I’ve had only two days with the phone. And as enamored as I am with the larger cover screen, I’m excited to see how the battery life measures up.

Samsung gave the Flip 7 a 4,300-mAh battery (compared with the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s 4,000-mAh battery), but I wonder if the increased capacity will be offset by the power needed for its Exynos 2500 chip and those larger, brighter displays.

I have a lot more testing to do. But as I work my way toward a full review, I’ll try not to drop the Flip 7 anymore.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 specs vs. Motorola Razr Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Cover display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 4.1-inch AMOLED, 948×1,048p, 120Hz refresh rate 4-inch pOLED, 2,992×1,224p, up to 165Hz variable refresh rate 3.4-inch AMOLED; 720×748 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate
Internal display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 6.9-inch AMOLED, 2,520×1,080p, 1-120Hz refresh rate 7-inch AMOLED; 1,272×1,080p, up to 165Hz variable refresh rate 6.7-inch AMOLED; 2,640×1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz refresh rate
Pixel density Cover: 342ppi. Internal: 397ppi Cover: 417 ppi. Internal: 464 ppi Cover: 306 ppi. Internal: 425 ppi
Dimensions (inches) Open: 2.96×6.56×0.26 Closed: 2.96×3.37×0.26 Open: 2.91×6.75×0.28 Closed: 2.91×3.47×0.62 Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 Closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59
Dimensions (millimeters) Open: 75.2×166.7×6.5 Closed: 75.2×85.5×13.7 Open: 73.99×171.48×7.19 Closed: 73.99×88.12×15.69 Open: 165.1×71.9×6.9 Closed: 85.1×71.9×14.9
Weight (grams, ounces) 188 g (6.63 oz) 199 g (7 oz) 187 g (6.6 oz)
Mobile software Android 16 Android 15 Android 14
Cameras 50 megapixel (main), 12 megapixel (ultrawide) 50 megapixel (wide), 50 megapixel (ultrawide) 50 megapixel (wide), 12 megapixel (ultrawide)
Internal screen camera 10 megapixel 50 megapixel 10 megapixel
Video capture 4K at 60fps 4K TBD
Processor Samsung Exynos 2500 Snapdragon 8 Elite Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM/storage 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB 16GB + 512GB, 1TB 12GB + 256GB, 512GB
Expandable storage No None None
Battery 4,300 mAh 4,700 mAh 4,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor Yes Side Side
Connector USB-C USB-C USB-C
Headphone jack None None None
Special features One UI 8, IP48 water resistance, 25-watt wired charging, Qi wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Galaxy AI IP48 rating, 68-watt wired charging, 30-watt wireless charging, 5-watt reverse charging, dual stereo speakers, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic cover display, 3,000 nits peak brightness on cover display, 4,500 nits peak brightness on main display, 5G. IP48 rating, 25-watt wired charging, wireless charging + powershare, 3x optical zoom (up to 10x digital and 30x Space Zoom with AI Super Resolution tech)
US price starts at $1,100 $1,300 $1,100

Correction, Jul. 12: The Galaxy Z Flip 7 runs on Samsung’s Exynos 2500 chip.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, July 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Oh, come on, New York Times — that 8-Across answer in the Mini Crossword today is just a bunch of letters! It could almost be any letters that seem to make a sound! Stumped by this or any other answer today? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Account used to log into Threads, familiarly
Answer: INSTA

6A clue: Upscale gym freebie
Answer: TOWEL

7A clue: Bad thing to feel toward the end of a marathon
Answer: CRAMP

8A clue: Vowelless grunt
Answer: HMMPH

9A clue: Vegetable in fried rice
Answer: PEA

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Reason to scratch one’s head, perhaps
Answer: ITCH

2D clue: Standard
Answer: NORM

3D clue: Shrek’s home
Answer: SWAMP

4D clue: Arizona city between Phoenix and Mesa
Answer: TEMPE

5D clue: Gen ___ (kids born in the 2010s)
Answer: ALPHA

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