Starlink tweets from space can now be sent on Google Pixel 10 and Samsung Z Flip 7
SpaceX sent the first tweet from space using Starlink's direct-to-cell (DTC) satellite constellation in a test using an off-the-shelf Samsung Galaxy S21 phone from Verizon in February 2024.
As if to coincide with the official Google Pixel 10 release date, the commercial Starlink-optimized X app launch is now live over at Japan's KDDI carrier, with the 2025 Pixels and Samsung Galaxy Z series of phones being the first to support it.
Since Starlink's DTC satellites are directly visible at any given time over Japan, the local KDDI was able to call dibs on the inaugural launch of the first non-Google app optimized for satellite communication without cellular coverage.
The Pixel 10 for T-Mobile has become the surprise first phone to support Starlink data communication in the US, but its early access is limited to Google apps like Maps or Messages.
The KDDI Starlink service, in contrast, brings the first third-party social media and messaging app optimized for Starlink data, X, as well as Google Maps for navigation, Weathernews for critical weather updates, the NERV Disaster Prevention app for emergency notifications, and YAMAP for maps of hiking trails.
This is the richest suite of satellite Internet-ready apps available anywhere, and KDDI promises that the Google Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Flip 7 support will be followed by other handsets soon.
T-Mobile's T-Satellite service created in partnership with Starlink currently supports text and picture messaging, as well as limited data on three Google apps available on the Pixel 10 series. When the T-Mobile Starlink data service launches widely in October, it will include a number of Samsung, Motorola, or Apple iPhone 13 and above series, as well as a wider variety of chat and social media apps.
For now, however, KDDI has a head start as the first carrier with a commercial launch of X posts and direct messages sent from space in dead zones without cellular coverage, as well as offering maps, navigation, and weather or emergency updates that can be a lifesaver while hiking in the great outdoors.
