Technologies

Video Chats From Space? T-Mobile’s Service Broadens What Apps Can Do Over Satellite

T-Satellite, T-Mobile’s Starlink-based satellite communications, now supports video and audio calls in some apps when you don’t have cellular coverage.

When T-Mobile took its T-Satellite service live during the summer, it teased the ability for developers to adapt their apps to work within the strict data limits required over satellite connections. Then, several apps were able to jump the gun and start working with the Starlink-based service at the launches of the Pixel 10 Pro and the iPhone 17. Now T-Satellite is open to any app configured to work with the network — with a few surprises I didn’t think we’d see so early.

Get ready to video chat with your friends from the middle of nowhere… Or prepare to be trapped by your friends who want to video chat no matter where you are.

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T-Satellite breaks some Earth-bound limitations

T-Mobile isn’t the first company to connect a smartphone to a satellite network. Recent iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel models equipped with the proper hardware can talk to satellites when out of cellular range to access emergency services, text using the Messages app and send a location via Find My. But those are primarily based on sending short bursts of data, which is essential when communicating line-of-sight with satellites that are thousands of miles overhead and limited in their bandwidth capacities.

T-Satellite accesses a network of 657 Starlink satellites dedicated to cellular service using a band of cellular spectrum that works with most phones made during the last four years, according to T-Mobile. The company has also offered the service to customers of other providers for $10 a month. It shares the same text-centric limitations as the other companies, with the added ability to send and receive images using Multimedia Messaging Service.

With today’s announcement, T-Mobile is setting some of those limitations aside. In the WhatsApp app, for example, you can send texts, images, voice memos and video messages, which still fit (barely?) within the send-small-bursts-of-data model. WhatsApp now also supports live audio and video chats to other people using WhatsApp, but you can’t use it to make phone calls, emergency calls or texts.

Another example is the X app (formerly Twitter), which lets you scroll your feed and post text, photos, GIFs or videos. It also has the option to download high-resolution media when you need more detail.

Launching app data access

According to Jeff Giard, vice president of strategic partnerships at T-Mobile, getting to this point was largely due to customer feedback during the lengthy T-Satellite beta period while the Starlink constellation was still being completed. «We started seeing [customer feedback] start to shift to ‘Hey, this is awesome. I want more,'» he said. «So we started focusing on how do we enable great experiences on apps in an environment where it’s not our blazing-fast terrestrial network?»

Because T-Satellite is based on the LTE cellular standard, sending video and high-res images became a matter of maximizing the use of the spectrum and optimizing for better data transmission, said Giard.

During the beta period, there was some initial confusion about the network’s capabilities. «‘Oh my gosh, I get broadband Starlink on my phone now,’ [some customers believed] and it’s really not the case,» he said. «This is an entirely separate constellation of satellites that’s dedicated to … working on your phone.»

He also attributed the new capabilities to Apple and Google’s work at the operating system level, emphasizing that developers can tie into existing Application Program Interfaces, or APIs, to make their apps work with T-Satellite.

Importantly, Giard said that T-Mobile is not imposing any data caps or network throttling for T-Satellite customers who make heavy use of the service. «I don’t want to take anything off the table at this point,» he said, «but right now, what we’re launching [today] doesn’t have a data cap.»

In addition to built-in apps such as Apple Maps, Google Maps, Apple Music and Samsung Weather, that were added in September, T-Mobile announced the following list of apps that are working with T-Satellite: T-Life, AllTrails, AccuWeather, CalTopo and onX (plus X and WhatsApp).

As for which apps get optimized next for T-Satellite, Giard says he’s looking forward to what developers and customers start asking for. «Our driving mantra here is … what are we doing next? What pain point are we solving?» he said. The apps coming next «will be the ones that the customers tell us they really want, and [others that] are organically adopted along the way.»

Technologies

In Honor of the Artemis II Mission, Explore the Moon in Fortnite Now

You might not be able to see the moon the way the Artemis II team is, but there’s an educational Fortnite simulation that will get you onto the celestial body’s surface.

You may not be able to explore the vast majesty of space in the same way that the four-person crew of the Artemis II is, but you can still get an up-close-and-personal view of the moon… in Fortnite, at least.

While you may not be able to slingshot around Earth’s own lunar body, space enthusiasts can see a little bit of what the Artemis II crew is seeing by spending time on the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map right now. The map is a creative collaboration between Fortnite’s creator, Epic Games, and the European Space Agency. Lunar Horizons was released in 2024 after extensive testing and play from ESA trainee astronauts.

If you’re looking to learn more about our own orbiting body, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of the surface of the moon’s South Pole.

It blends game mechanics with learning, as players get to build up their own sterile lunar habitat bases, interact with ESA astronauts and roll around with robotic rovers as they discover informative plaques that contain information about the moon and international space agencies. There are still dangers to navigate, too — a solar storm may strike when you least expect it.

If you’re interested in exploring the moon, we’ve got all the information you need to join in on the Fortnite fun below. And if you’re looking for a more serious livestream during this momentous human achievement, tune into NASA’s feed here.

How to join the Moon Fortnite island while you follow the Artemis II mission

The Lunar Horizons Fortnite map is a great educational simulation that shares details about ESA’s work and catalogs information about humanity’s lunar research.

These three simple steps will get you up and running (or more accurately, taking slow leaps and bounds) on the surface of the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map:

Download Fortnite

If you haven’t played Fortnite before, but you want to check out this limited-time event, you’ll have to download the game. If you’re on PC, you can download Fortnite for free from the Epic Games Store. Console players can navigate the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store or Nintendo eShop in order to download Fortnite on their devices.

Navigate the in-game menus until you reach the Search button

Once you’re in the game, scroll down past the different official Fortnite game modes and the Discover tab until you find the Search button.

Input the Lunar Horizons island code

In the search bar, you can input a map’s name or its distinct search code in order to find it in the map directory. You can search for the Lunar Horizons map or input the code 3207-0960-6428 to explore this map in time.

Correction, 3:35 p.m. PT: This story initially was in error about the features available in the Lunar Horizons map. There is no Artemis II-specific mission in Fortnite. Rather, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of part of the moon’s surface.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 7, #561

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 7, No. 561.

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

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun mix of categories, and the purple one cracked me up. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fore!

Green group hint: Hockey Night in Canada.

Blue group hint: Meteorologist favorites.

Purple group hint: And they’re off!

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Golf scoring terms.

Green group: Canadian NHL teams.

Blue group: Weather-themed teams.

Purple group: Things that race at MLB games.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is golf scoring terms. The four answers are birdie, bogey, eagle and par.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Canadian NHL teams. The four answers are Canadiens, Canucks, Oilers and Senators.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is weather-themed teams. The four answers are Hurricanes, Lightning, Storm and Thunder.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is things that race at MLB games. The four answers are pierogis, presidents, sausages and the freeze.

Technologies

Trump Administration Bans Chinese Routers. Phones and Cameras Could Follow

Major companies, including Huawei and Hikvision, could see the last of their import orders cut off from the US within 30 days of implementation.

The Federal Communications Commission continued its crackdown on Chinese tech on Friday, issuing a new proposal that would extend a ban on companies to products previously authorized.

In 2021, companies such as Huawei, Hikvision, Dahua, Hytera and ZTE were added to the FCC’s Covered List, a record of companies and products that the FCC believes pose a national security risk to the US, under the Secure Networks Act. The Chinese companies produce mobile phones, security cameras and other tech products.

But the 2021 ban applied only to new models that the FCC hadn’t authorized, and companies were free to keep selling models that had already received the FCC’s stamp of approval. If approved, the new proposal would ban these companies entirely, including those previously approved products.

«Older models of covered equipment pose an unacceptable risk today when imported or marketed in the United States, not only when such equipment is new to the market,» an FCC report from October said.

The proposal will be open for comment until May 6, after which the commission will vote on whether to adopt the rules. The ban won’t affect devices already owned by Americans.

Millions of consumers and businesses rely on Wi-Fi routers, telecommunications equipment and security cameras every day, making these devices critical links in both home and office networks. The Federal Communications Commission shocked the broadband industry on March 23 by effectively banning the sale of future foreign-made Wi-Fi routers (including some of the biggest router brands).

In recent years, Chinese telecommunications companies have faced restrictions on operating in the US. In 2020, The Wall Street Journal cited US officials who reportedly said that Chinese companies, including Huawei, used backdoor access intended for law enforcement to track sensitive information.

But this ban could be implemented quickly. The FCC proposes that «all parties [will have to] cease all importation and marketing activities within 30 days of the effective date of the prohibition.»

This proposition doesn’t reflect a final legal ruling on telecommunications imports, but it does reflect how the Trump administration has been increasingly pressuring Chinese tech companies in recent months.

The foreign-made router ban was only the latest in a string of decisions that have placed restrictions on Chinese tech companies operating in the US.

In December, the FCC banned the importation of Chinese-made drones into the US. Just months before that, the agency voted to block new approvals for any device containing parts manufactured by companies on the Covered List.

Representatives from the FCC and Huawei didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.