Updated ,first published
Users of three iPhone models have been urged to install a fix to regain access to the Telstra network after days of no service for some customers, in what is the latest telco glitch that left affected Australians temporarily unable to make Triple Zero emergency calls.
By Thursday afternoon, Apple had issued a patch to fix the last of the problems that had stopped users of three older iPhone models from connecting to Telstra since a software update released on January 26.
The reliability of Triple Zero services has come under scrutiny since a major outage at Optus last year was initially linked to four deaths, though police later clarified the emergency call issue did not contribute to two of the fatalities.
The others are under coronial investigation. In that incident, many phones that should have connected to another network to reach Triple Zero when Optusโ service failed were unable to switch. Similar failures separately affected older Samsung phones last year.
The Apple update this month was intended to stop that type of problem from happening in other situations to its older phones but users of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X users soon began reporting they could not connect to Telstraโs network.
One user posted on Reddit that the update had left their phone โbeing near uselessโ.
โEven after trying all of the troubleshooting and calling my carrier, I found that I was only able to connect to Wi-Fi,โ the social media user said. โNo calls, no SMS, no data. My phone can only be used on Wi-Fi.
โAnd to top it off, itโs even killed the ability to call 000 โ the entire reason the update was released in the first place.โ
Telstra confirmed it was investigating the issue on Wednesday evening. Apple initially pulled all the software updates that introduced the problems, but had restored all but one of those updates by Thursday morning and restored Triple Zero service for the phones by letting their users make emergency calls via other networks.
On Thursday afternoon, Apple released a fix for the last remaining handsets with connection problems.
For Telstra users of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X who had upgraded to a version of software numbered 16.7.13, Appleโs patch which will automatically install if they connect to WiFi and accept new carrier settings.
Spokespeople for Optus and TPG, which also operates the Vodafone brand, said the Apple issue had not affected their customers.
Carol Bennett, the CEO of Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, said public confidence in the Triple Zero system โhas taken a significant hit over the last 12 monthsโ.
โWe have seen outages, device compatibility problems, mixed messaging and general confusion,โ she said.
Bennett noted the Triple Zero custodian had been in place for several months, but said the government must act further to create a โresilient and evolvingโ emergency communications system, including a national SMS to Triple Zero service as well as digital channels.
โIt is a top public safety priority that we strengthen and modernise the Triple Zero system. The chaos we saw last year is bleeding into this year. Enough is enough,โ Bennett said.
Apple had originally billed the January 26 software updates as a way of ensuring the companyโs phones could swap networks to reach Triple Zero if the customerโs primary network was unavailable.
โIn the rare event that these exceptional circumstances affecting mobile operatorsโ networks were to happen again, some older mobile phones might still encounter the same issue reaching emergency services through an alternate available network,โ the company said in a post on its website.
โSoftware updates are available for the following iPhone and Apple Watch models that might be impacted by this network issue. You are encouraged to update your devices to the latest software version.โ
Associate professor Mark Gregory, a telecommunications expert from RMIT University, said vendors, successive governments and the Australian Communications and Media Authority had all dropped the ball on Triple Zero over the past 15 years, and called for regulatory reform.
โThere needs to be tightening of the regulations. To ensure that the vendors understand fully what their role is in making handsets available for use by consumers in Australia,โ he said.
โThere needs to be performance measures within the legislation, and there needs to be penalties. And we need the government to step up and do something about it. But, you know, at the moment, itโs crickets.โ
Gregory said that changing technologies, such as rolling out upgrades from 4G to 5G, required specific oversight to ensure telcos didnโt break critical infrastructure in the process.
Federal opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh highlighted the issue on Wednesday and relayed Telstraโs advice to consumers at that time.
โOnce again, I am giving the public service announcement on an important issue impacting the safety of our citizens when it should be the Albanese Labor government,โ she said in a statement.
A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells then responded with an update on Apple and Telstraโs work.
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Elias Visontay is a National Consumer Affairs Reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
Tim Biggs is a writer covering consumer technology, gadgets and video games.Connect via X or email.
Nick Bonyhady is the business editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He is a former deputy federal editor, technology editor and industrial relations reporter.Connect via X or email.
