Dick Tracy has entered the 21st century, kind of. 

Apple Watch owners in Japan and Canada can now receive cellular Starlink service on the Ultra 3, Series 11 and SE 3 models, according to a quarterly earnings report from Japanese telecom operator KDDI, spotted by Ookla analyst Mike Dano and reported by PC Mag. The service is provided by KDDI's Au wireless carrier - and only provides text messaging service where watch owners can't access traditional cellular networks. 

Au also updated its support page to note the new compatibility between the Apple Watch and SpaceX's cellular Starlink. All Japanese customers need to do is buy the cellular version of the watch and sign up for Au's Starlink Direct service. 

In Canada, SpaceX partner, Rogers Communications, has also added support for the Apple Watch - with Cellular Starlink now available as a free beta to all Canadian users. 

PC Mag suggests that T-Mobile, SpaceX's partner in the US, could bring the same capability stateside - where it already supports ground-based cellular plans for the Apple Watch, and provides T-Satellite service for over 70 phone models, including the iPhone 13 and iPhone Air. 

The capability would also enable more Apple Watch owners to receive satellite connectivity whenever they travel through a cellular dead zone. In September, when Apple introduced its new smartwatch models, only the Apple Watch Ultra 3 featured built-in satellite connectivity for emergency response. The same model also features satellite-powered texting and location sharing, but only if you have an active carrier plan associated with the watch. -PC Mag

Meanwhile, Apple satellite partner Globalstar is considering selling itself to SpaceX, suggesting that the cellular Starlink system may be about to rapidly expand. The technology can support not only satellite-powered texting, but general data transmission to a growing number of Android and iOS apps - potentially even video calls. 

h/t Capital.news