How to get weather with satellite texting
A step by step guide to getting a real weather forecast over satellite texting, on an iPhone, a Galaxy, a Pixel, a Garmin inReach or a ZOLEO. No app and no subscription device.
Satellite texting solved the hard part. Your phone can now send a message from a drainage with no bars in it. What it did not solve is the thing you actually want out there, which is a forecast. There is no web page to load and no weather app that works without data.
The fix is to get the forecast the same way you get everything else out there now: as a text message. Here is how to do it, and what it costs.
What you need
- A phone or messenger that can send a text over satellite. The full list is below.
- A clear view of the sky. Satellite texting needs it, and trees and canyon walls will block you.
- Your coordinates. Your GPS works with no service at all.
- A number to text. Ours is (406) 333-1298.
Step 1: get your coordinates with no service
Your phone's GPS is a receiver. It listens to satellites and never needs a cell tower, so it works exactly the same in the backcountry as it does in town.
On an iPhone, open the Compass app and your latitude and longitude are at the bottom of the screen. On Android, Google Maps shows them if you press and hold your blue dot. Either way you end up with two numbers that look like 45.818198 and -110.896455.
Step 2: text the coordinates
Send a keyword and your coordinates in one message. If you only want to know whether to bother with the tent, send TENT? and we will ask you for the coordinates.
Over satellite the reply usually lands in 15 to 60 seconds. Over normal cell service it is a couple of seconds.
Step 3: ask for what you need
- wx gives you right now and the next 12 hours.
- fcst gives you tonight plus the next three days.
- alerts gives you National Weather Service warnings and any wildfires inside your radius.
- TENT? gives you a straight yes or no on the tent.
You can send any coordinates, not just the ones you are standing on. Check tomorrow's pass before you commit to it, or the drainage you are dropping into, or base camp while you are still on the summit.
Which phones can send a text over satellite
This is the part that changes every autumn when the new phones land, so it is worth checking the date on this table before you trust it.
| Device | Satellite texting | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 14 and newer | Built inMessages via satellite is part of the phone. One catch that surprises people: over satellite, a number that has never texted you cannot start a conversation. You have to text us first. That suits Tentcast, because we only ever reply. | Free |
| iPhone 13 and older | Carrier serviceApple's satellite features stop at the iPhone 14. Older iPhones can still get satellite texting through T-Mobile's T-Satellite service, which works on any carrier as long as the phone is unlocked and supports eSIM. | $10/mo |
| Galaxy S25, S26, Z Fold7, Z Flip7 | Built inVerizon includes satellite texting on these models at no extra cost, over the Skylo network. It only works through Google Messages, so if you text with something else, switch apps before you head out. | Free on Verizon |
| Galaxy S21 and newer, select A-series | Carrier serviceNot covered by Verizon's free satellite texting, but supported by T-Satellite. Check your exact model on T-Mobile's list before you count on it. | $10/mo |
| Pixel 9 and 10 | SOS onlyThis one catches people out. A Pixel's built-in satellite feature is Satellite SOS: emergency services only. It will not send us a text. Add Verizon's satellite texting or T-Satellite and the same phone can text normally over satellite. | Free for SOS, $10/mo for texting |
| Motorola Razr, Edge, Moto G (2024 and newer) | Carrier serviceRecent Motorola phones are supported by T-Satellite on any carrier, with an unlocked eSIM phone. | $10/mo |
| Garmin inReach, ZOLEO | Built inIf you already carry an inReach or a ZOLEO, you already have everything you need. Send the message to our number the same way you would send any other text. | Your existing plan |
| Any phone with SMS | Built inSatellite is for when the bars are gone. With any signal at all, any phone that can send a text can use Tentcast. | Free |
T-Satellite is the answer for most phones that did not ship with satellite texting built in. It runs $10/mo. Any carrier, as long as the phone is unlocked and supports eSIM. Coverage is The continental US, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and parts of southern Alaska, plus Canada, New Zealand, and Japan.
What it costs
If you have an iPhone 14 or newer, satellite texting itself is free and already on your phone. On a Galaxy flagship with Verizon it is also free. Everything else runs about $10 a month through a carrier satellite service.
Tentcast is free for the tent question, and $29 a year for the full forecasts. A dedicated satellite messenger with a weather subscription runs several hundred dollars plus a monthly plan, which is the whole reason this exists.
Where the forecast comes from
The National Weather Service, which is the same data behind weather.gov. NWS meteorologists blend the big models and hand correct them for local terrain. The country is covered in a grid of squares about a mile and a half across, each with its own temps, wind and precip, adjusted for elevation.
You get the square you are standing in. Not the nearest town, and not the airport 40 miles away and 4,000 feet lower. That is why every reply prints the elevation it was forecast for.
The catch worth knowing
On an iPhone over satellite, a number that has never texted you cannot start a conversation with you. That rule exists to keep satellite spam off the network, and it is a good rule.
It also means you have to text us first. That suits us, because we only ever reply. Tentcast never sends the first message to anyone, ever.
Try it
Text TENT? to (406) 333-1298 and see what comes back. There is no account to make and no app to install.
Text TENT? to (406) 333-1298