Technologies

T-Mobile Is Bringing Starlink to Your Phone. Check If You’ll Get It for Free

Are dead zones a thing of the past? T-Mobile and Starlink’s new satellite cell service thinks so. Here’s what you need to know.

Going off-grid might soon be a thing of the past, as T-Mobile’s 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 utilizing 657 Starlink satellites that will be used exclusively for cellphone service. T-Satellite has been in beta testing since Dec. 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 will be available to T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon customers for $10 a month — or free for anyone on T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan.

“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 country 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 iOS and Android. Android users will also get MMS (multimedia messaging service) immediately, with iOS 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, 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) will get the service for free indefinitely, 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, or 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 XCover7 Pro
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
*(Some non-T-Mobile device variants are not satellite capable)

When T-Satellite officially 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

Microsoft’s ‘Blue Screen of Death’ Dies After 40 Years of Memes, Jokes, T-Shirts

Meet its mournful replacement, the black screen of death, which won’t have the sad face.

Like Pudding Pops and Benetton sweaters, another 1980s icon is gone. After 40 years of delivering the tragic news of a PC crash to Windows users, Microsoft’s infamous «blue screen of death» is going away. A black screen of death will be replacing it, albeit without the sad face.

The blue screen of death has been around since Windows 1.0 came out in 1985. Named for its bright blue color, it’s a critical error screen that pops up on computers using the Microsoft Windows operating system when the system crashes. The text on the screen varies, but it’s sometimes accompanied by a frowning face made up of a colon and a left parenthesis. 🙁

Microsoft says the new black screen of death, which it calls a «simplified UI for unexpected restarts,» will appear in its place starting later this summer on all Windows 11, version 24H2 devices.

The black screen of death will show the stop code and faulty system driver, allowing IT admins to more quickly identify the issue that caused the crash, rather than having to use debugging software.

It’s not just a cosmetic change, it’s part of Microsoft’s Windows Resiliency Initiative, which is designed to increase resiliency and security in Windows systems. In a blog post on Thursday, Microsoft said that the new black screen of death is part of «streamlining the unexpected restart experience» and aiding in «quick machine recovery.» The aim is to reduce recovery time to 2 seconds following a PC crash.

The Windows Resiliency Initiative was launched following 2024’s CrowdStrike outage, which caused systems to go offline for numerous businesses, airports and governmental services. More than 8 million devices were affected.

A pop-culture icon

Over 40 years, the blue screen of death worked its way into pop culture, with plenty of memes, a subreddit devoted to it, and T-shirts and other items bearing its image.

When Microsoft suffered a massive global IT outage due to a CrowdStrike security update in July 2024, one X user dubbed the day International BlueScreen Day, sharing a photo of a conference room full of laptops all showing the blue screen of death.

Something about the unmistakable blue color of the error screen mixed with the frowny emoticon — and the reminder that everyone’s computer crashed once in a while — made it an icon.

«I bought my husband a blue screen of death T-shirt and he wore it to work at Microsoft corporate headquarters back in the day,» CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper said. «I wondered for a minute if anyone would be offended, but the first day he wore it, multiple people came up to him in the cafeteria to compliment it and ask where they could buy one for themselves.»

Technologies

Apple to Release Cheaper MacBook Air Powered by iPhone Processor, Analyst Says

The new laptop might also feature more color options, including pink and yellow.

Apple will release a cheaper MacBook Air laptop powered by an iPhone processor, according to a Monday post on X by respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities.

https://t.co/3WFsSlGgT5

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 30, 2025

According to the report, the 13-inch thin-and-light laptop will enter production in late 2025 or early 2026 and will be powered by the A18 Pro processor, the same chip powering the iPhone 16 Pro. This laptop might also give you more color options, including pink and yellow, along with the standard silver.

Apple is targeting a 5-7 million unit production run for 2026. While the A18 Pro chip would be a significant downgrade from the M-series chip, it’s about on par with 2020’s M1 chip, making it more than powerful enough for everyday tasks.

A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Of Apple’s 2024 Mac shipments, the MacBook Air accounted for 33% of sales, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Despite the popularity of the MacBook line, Apple only has 9.2% of global computer market share, according to Statista. Currently, Dell, HP and Lenovo all command greater share of the market than Apple, likely thanks to wider product portfolios and enterprise sales.

Considering the MacBook Air starts at $999, a cheaper A18 Pro-powered MacBook Air could eat away at lower-end computer sales and bring MacOS to more price-conscious consumers. And, given that the A18 Pro supports Apple Intelligence, the company’s vision of AI-enabled computing, it could introduce AI to more laptop buyers.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for July 1, #751

Here are some hints — and the answers — for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 1, #751.

Looking for the most recent 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, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle could be tricky. The purple category requires you to really think about how four words fit with another word that’s not in the puzzle. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

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

Yellow group hint: That’s not yours!

Green group hint: Freshen up.

Blue group hint: Looking good!

Purple group hint: Think rock.