A software update designed to prevent issues with older iPhones connecting to Triple Zero is stopping some Apple devices from reaching Telstra’s network, including for emergency calls.
Problems began after Apple released software updates for several of its iPhone and cellular Apple Watch models on Tuesday, which included devices as old as 2014’s iPhone 6.
The updates were designed to prevent issues with calls to emergency services, and included other bug fixes.
Tesltra announced on Wednesday it was investigating “an issue preventing some older Apple devices from connecting to our network, including calls to 000”.
Potentially impacted devices included the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, when updated to Apple’s newly released iOS 16.7.13 software, according to Telstra.
Delay updates
The telecommunications giant said it was working with Apple and recommended customers delay applying software updates on their devices.
Apple on Wednesday pulled the software updates it had released for its older devices, which included iOS 16.7.13, as well as iOS 18.7.4, iOS 15.8.6, and iOS 12.5.8.
Telstra announced just before midday AEDT on Thursday that Apple had “identified a fix”, which would be released in an upcoming software update.
Apple did not respond by deadline to a request for comment.
Both Optus and TPG said their respective networks were not affected by the issue.
Camp-on delays
Apple encouraged users with an iPhone 12 or older to update their software earlier this week, to prevent “the rare event” in which some older devices may be unable to contact emergency services through alternative networks if their usual one is not available — a process known as ‘camping on’.
Camp-on issues occurred during a fatal Optus Triple Zero outage in September 2025, and similar issues occurred with older Samsung devices which required updating or replacing.
The Western Australia Police Force said on Wednesday it had identified “some phone users may experience a 20 to 30 second delay when dialling triple-0″, before it was informed by Telstra that some older iPhones were experiencing issues.
In a Thursday morning update regarding the issue with certain iPhone models, Telstra told customers, “It can take some time (eg. one minute) for the impacted device to connect to the alternative mobile network when one is available.”
An independent review of Optus’s September Triple Zero outage found devices may take 40 to 60 seconds to connect to Triple Zero when ‘camping on’, and urged Optus to inform customers about this.
The review found “people are unlikely to hang on for this length of time, especially when the only response they are getting is silence on the line”, and pushed for greater industry collaboration to address the issue.
“This delay is something that customers at all telecommunications companies should be informed about,” report author Kerry Schott wrote.
Carol Bennett, CEO of the peak consumer advocacy group for the communications industry, ACCAN, said it was “greatly concerning” that emergency camp-on calls sometimes took up to a minute to connect.
“A minute is a long time for someone calling emergency services, who may well be in distress,” she said.
“The [Triple Zero] Custodian and the ongoing Senate inquiry into Triple Zero service outages should take a detailed look at this issue.”
Apple had urged users of older iPhones to update their devices earlier this week. Image: Tom Williams / Information Age
Users told older iPhones ‘not affected’
Apple’s iOS 26.2 software update in December 2025 included a fix for iPhone 12 models to prevent them from running into an issue connecting to Triple Zero.
While Apple did not specify what that issue was, Australian telcos said testing had shown iPhone 12 devices may not be able to camp-on to alternative networks.
Apple explicitly stated at the time that older models the iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11 — as well as iPhone 13 and newer — were “not affected” by this issue.
The company’s stance on which models were affected appeared to change when it released its latest software updates this week.
The tech giant told users of devices from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 6 their phones “might be impacted by this network issue”, and they were “encouraged to update” their devices to the latest software version.
The affected iPhone models were:
- iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
- iPhone SE (1st generation)
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
Apple did not respond by deadline to a request for comment on the experience of users of older iPhones who had been urged to update their devices on Tuesday, only for those updates to be pulled on Wednesday.
