Android 15’s satellite messaging is already showing up for some T-Mobile users

What do you want to know

• People who have both upgraded to the Android 15 beta and have an eligible T-Mobile plan will now see a page in the Satellite Messaging settings.
• This is not the first time we have seen this menu for satellite messaging, but it is the first time it has appeared in functional form for users.
• Previous reports revealed that T-Mobile and Starlink were teaming up to support satellite messaging on 15 Android devices.

So far, probably the biggest Android 15 feature revealed so far is Satellite Messaging. There have been countless leaks and rumors regarding this feature, which still hasn’t been officially confirmed by Google even after its I/O 2024 developer conference. However, the closest thing we’ve gotten to official confirmation just happened: people running the Android 15 beta on a device with T-Mobile cellular service are now notified of satellite messaging, like Android Authority reported.

A few T-Mobile users took to Reddit to share the new settings menu that appeared on their Android 15 device. It’s called Satellite messagingand it is accessible by navigating via Settings > Network & Internet > SIM > T-Mobile on devices running Android 15 Beta 2. Although some have managed to force the satellite messaging menu to appear in previous versions of Android 15, the settings page is only starting to appear by default in Android 15 Beta 2.

Here’s what the satellite messaging page will look like in Android 15, as shared by u/erichola on Reddit:

The satellite messaging option appeared on my Pixel 7. Since r/tmobile

Under the About satellite messaging In the section, there is a sentence explaining how and if T-Mobile customers can take advantage of satellite messaging in Android 15. “You can send and receive text messages via satellite as part of a T-Mobile account eligible,” we can read. While we don’t know which T-Mobile plans are currently supported, we do know that the user in question has T-Mobile’s Magenta plan. As such, we can assume that Magenta users will likely be able to use Android 15 Satellite Messaging without paying extra.

Notably, there appear to be no restrictions on when and how satellite messaging can be used on Android 15. Many satellite features released in the past are specifically designed for use in emergencies. Satellite messaging on Android 15 is unique in that it appears to work whenever Wi-Fi and cellular are unavailable, and is not limited to these dire situations.

T-Mobile has already announced a partnership with Starlink and plans to launch satellite text messaging at some point this year. This is likely why the carrier is the first to appear in the Android 15 settings app. Other carriers may appear in the future, and AT&T is already working on its own satellite messaging strategy. As Android Authority speculated, Android 15’s settings menu for satellite messaging doesn’t appear to be unique or exclusive to T-Mobile.

The presence of Satellite Messaging in the settings menu all but confirms its arrival in Android 15. However, users likely won’t actually be able to use it until their carrier rolls out Satellite Messaging support .