Apple Extends Modem Licensing Deal With Qualcomm Through March 2027

Apple has extended its modem chip licensing agreement with Qualcomm through March 2027, Qualcomm said today during its first earnings call of 2024. Apple's existing agreement has now been extended for two years, so we can expect to see Qualcomm modems in the next several iPhone generations.

5G Modem Feature Blue
Apple has been working on developing its own 5G modem chip in-house for the last several years. The technology would keep it from having to rely on Qualcomm for 5G chips, but Apple's progress has seen several delays.

In November 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple's work on a modem chip had been postponed until late 2025 or 2026, and it is possible it could see further delays. Apple was initially aiming to have an Apple-designed modem chip ready to go by 2024, but it missed that target. The company then wanted to introduce the modem chip in an ‌iPhone‌ SE that would launch in spring 2025, but it will not be able to make that goal either.


Gurman said at the time that Apple was "years away" from creating a chip that is able to perform as well or better than chips from Qualcomm.

Apple has reportedly run into issues with the Intel code that it has been using from its acquisition of Intel's modem chip business. Apple has had to rewrite code, and adding new features has caused existing features to break. Apple also has to avoid infringing on Qualcomm's patents during its modem development.

The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro models set to be released in 2024 are rumored to be using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 modem with improved carrier aggregation, and a more power efficient transceiver.

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...

Top Rated Comments

7thson Avatar
23 months ago
The elusive Apple modem. Which will we see first? The modem or the car?
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wouwout Avatar
23 months ago
had an Intel modem in my 11 pro max and suffered from bad reception. Looking forward to many more years of Qualcomm's modems
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
23 months ago
Imagine being on the Apple modem team. How do you show your face in the cafeteria at Apple Park?

Apple started this effort maybe in 2016 or 2017. They groom Intel and fight with Qualcomm. Then Tim Cook pays Qualcomm $4.5B as a mea culpa. Apple buys Intel 5G technologies for $1B. It's five years later and the team has nothing to show for it.

Meanwhile the guys at Huawei develop a 5G modem, integrate it into the SoC, and even add two way satellite voice and message capability. All using homegrown 7nm. Meanwhile, Apple has full TSMC access down to N3.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
23 months ago
this comes to: no surprise ...
Qualcomm has the best modems and until Apple can do better, we'll have Qualcomm modems in Apple flagship iPhones
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcled53 Avatar
23 months ago
I'm beginning to think the entire purpose of Apple's G5 modem "program" is to encourage Qualcomm to make a deal that keeps their modem in the iPhone. As far as we know the Apple 5G department plays air hockey all day.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_apple_apple_ Avatar
23 months ago

See, we can all work together to produce a superior product, no need to internalize the entire manufacturing process. Apple doesn't make their batteries or their screens either.:rolleyes:
I've got news for you... Apple is indeed making their own displays and batteries. The displays have been in development for many years and are microLED iirc (not mini); rumoured to possibly debut in the Apple Watch X this/next year. For the battery, it's unclear how long Apple's been working on that.

I think the only way around the modem patents is if Apple uses a fundamentally different tech, like optical computing hardware. QC seems to think their patent coverage is air-tight.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)