Late last year, T-Mobile finally unveiled its satellite messaging service in partnership with Starlink, which is appropriately called T-Mobile Starlink. In development for years, this service allows you to send and receive text messages without any terrestrial network connection. Instead, your phone connects to non-terrestrial networks (or NTNs, also known as satellites). Previously, you could do this with specific devices but only to communicate with emergency services. With T-Mobile Starlink, though, you can message anyone for any reason.
Earlier this year, T-Mo finally opened up public beta testing for NTN communication. I was lucky enough to get into that beta, and I tested it out with my Google Pixel 9 Pro on a hike a few days ago. While the service does work — when you’re connected to a satellite, you can send and receive text messages — it’s not as convenient as it should be. Let me tell you about my experience!