Qualcomm Announces Renewed Agreement With Apple

Thursday September 24, 2026 6:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Qualcomm today announced the renewal of its global patent licensing agreement with Apple, effective April 1, 2027. No further details were provided.

Qualcomm Apple Logos
This patent agreement is separate from Qualcomm's agreement to supply Apple with cellular modems for smartphone launches through 2026, so we expect Apple's transition to its own custom-designed modems to continue. Among the latest iPhone models, only the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max still has a Qualcomm modem.

The smaller iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Duo are equipped with Apple's C2 modem worldwide, as is the iPhone 18 Pro Max in all countries beyond the U.S., while cellular models of the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air use Apple's previous-generation C1X modem.

Following a legal battle, Apple and Qualcomm reached a settlement that included a six-year patent licensing agreement beginning April 1, 2019. A two-year extension option was exercised, pushing the agreement's expiry date to March 31, 2027. Reuters reported that another two-year extension option was available, so it is possible the agreement now runs through March 31, 2029, but the length of the latest extension was not disclosed.

Tag: Qualcomm

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Top Rated Comments

EugW

4 weeks ago

Interesting to hear this. Wonder which versions of iPhones will now use Qualcomm models in the future!!

The article says this patent agreement is separate from the modem supply agreement.

I wonder if this means Apple is using Qualcomm’s patents in C2, and if they will continue to use them in C2X / C3.

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)

hieranonymous

4 weeks ago

Interesting to hear this. Wonder which versions of iPhones will now use Qualcomm models in the future!!

None of them will. This agreement allows Apple to continue developing and deploying its own modems without Qualcomm’s lawyers breathing down its neck.

Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)

dustinisatexan

4 weeks ago

This is the shortest announcement I’ve ever seen lol. There’s definitely no animosity between them.

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

It’s always something

4 weeks ago

Easy to tell who has read this fine article about a patent agreement before posting and who hasn’t

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

JPack

4 weeks ago

My guess: the iPhone 20th Anniversary Edition, the one rumored with the nearly all-glass design, will use the Snapdragon X105 radio modem chip (or at least a customized version of that chip). All other iPhone models, including future versions of the iPhone Duo, will use C2 or its successor radio modems.

Notice the statement is "patent license agreement" not chip supply agreement. Apple would rather mark 20 years by celebrating that every major logic chip in the iPhone is now designed in-house.

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)