Starlink has updated their mobile app with a new feature aimed at customers using their dish while in-motion. You can now adjust the tilt/angle of your dish. If you have a motorized dish mounted on your vehicle’s roof, you’ll be able to keep it at a flat angle while you are driving. This helps prevent wear and tear on the motors, and makes in-motion performance more consistent.
The “Tilt” setting is only available for actuated (motorized) Starlink dishes. Also, it will only appear in the app if you are on one of the Mobile or Mobile Priority service plans. Tilt is not available for Standard/Residential customers.
Tilt settings
To find the new Tilt settings, open the app. Tap Settings, and then tap Starlink to view all the options related to the dish. You will find a new setting, called Tilt, under Snow Melt and Sleep Schedule.
If you tap on Tilt, there are two options to choose from:
Automatic – This is the default setting, and is recommended when you are using Starlink at a fixed location. For example, if the dish is mounted to your house, or if you set the dish on the standard base at your campsite.
Flat – This option is best when you are using an actuated Starlink while driving. Whether it’s on a boat, RV, or other type of vehicle, Flat aims the dish straight up. Flat mode prevents the motors from trying to automatically align the dish constantly while you are in-motion.
Select your preferred Tilt option and click Save to initiate the change.
A long time coming
The Tilt option was a highly requested feature for customers using their dish while in-motion. It took many years, but now, you won’t have to drill a hole in your Gen 2 Standard Actuated dish to disable the motors. I even wrote a tutorial on how to disable the Starlink motors. I’m happy to report that this is no longer necessary.
Flat mounting a Starlink dish works because of the wide field of view. The Gen 2 Standard Actuated dish has 100 degrees of view where it can track and communicate with Starlink satellites orbiting overhead. For in-motion use, the vehicle’s direction is always changing. It doesn’t make much sense to angle it in any one direction. The new flat option can help improve performance and satellite visibility.
Final thoughts
I know what many of you will be thinking: Will this new feature help with obstructions for fixed installations? Probably not. Your dish has a schedule of satellites that it is allowed to talk to, based on your location. Obstructions are obstructions because the view of the scheduled satellite is blocked by an object, usually a tree. Aiming the dish straight up in flat mode doesn’t change that. Although the dish gains a bit of visibility towards the horizon while it is flat, that’s not where your scheduled satellites are passing by.
That’s probably why Starlink only made this feature available to Roam/Mobile users. They didn’t want to give Residential customers dealing with obstructions any false hope.
Let me know what you think of this new feature in the comment section below. If you’ve been using your actuated dish in-motion, will this help?