Apple Just Gave Your Old iPhone a Pretty Cool New Feature

Apple just released iOS 18.5 and, with it, rolled out several minor new features to its iPhones. The Mail and Photos apps receive refreshed looks and controls. A new Pride Harmony wallpaper is now available. And, for parents, you’ll get an alert when a Screen Time passcode is used on your child’s iPhone.

However, the software update all brings one of Apple’s most-hyped features in recent years to its older iPhones for the first time.

An iPhone 13 upgrade

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

When Apple released the iPhone 14 in 2022, one of its standout new features was the inclusion of satellite messaging. This granted iPhone users who were off the grid and in an emergency situation to send an SOS message via satellite when no cellular (or Wi-Fi) coverage was available.

Then this fall, when Apple rolled out iOS 18, it expanded this capability to include regular text messaging (via iMessage and SMS); instead of just emergency services, you could use a satellite connection to send a message to family or friends.

Apple

However, up until this week, this satellite messaging feature was only available on Apple’s newest iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 lines. Thanks to iOS 18.5, Apple is extending support for satellite messaging to its iPhone 13 line, as well.

The service uses T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered satellites and thus promises to be a better deal for its T-Mobile customers. It costs $15/month for T-Mobile customers or $20/month for Verizon or AT&T customers.

That said, T-Mobile is currently running a free testing period until July for anybody in the US who wishes to try it out — you can learn about the free trial via T-Mobile’s support page.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

When’s it coming?

iOS 18.5 is available now to all compatible iPhones. It started rolling out on Monday, May 12th.

To learn more about satellite messaging on iPhone — or even try a demo — check out Apple’s support page.

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