It turns out Samsung devices aren’t the only potential problem with emergency services, as Apple pushes out a patch with a triple zero fix and other issues, too.
If you’re the owner of an iPhone 12 range model, you might want to listen up: your phone needs an update ASAP, and it might just save your life.
While the iOS 26.2 update rolling out now includes some patches for all sorts of app problems and a few security flaws, Australians have an extra reason to consider downloading the patch immediately: it can fix a potential triple zero problem before it happens.
You might recall some of the drama Telstra discovered with older Samsung phones and an inability to connect to Vodafone towers following the shutdown of the 3G network. It’s been a huge issue, one of literal life and death which has seen the unfortunate outcome of people losing their life after being unable to connect with emergency services.
The initial report expected some devices needed to be retired and would not be patched, many were. And to date, most affected mobiles have been made by Samsung, meaning folks with other phones were largely safe.
This week, however, Apple has added a fix to its iOS 26.2 update that covers iPhone 12 models connecting to emergency services in Australia, particularly when trying to connect to towers not from your telco in rural areas. Interestingly, only the iPhone 12 range is affected, with previous models appearing fine, as well as models from the iPhone 13 and higher.
It means if you have an iPhone XS, XR, or iPhone 11 model, your phone won’t see this specific fix applied, and the same is true for the iPhone 13, 14, 15, 16, or this year’s iPhone 17 range.
But for some reason, the four models of the iPhone 12 — the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max — all get a special little extra fix that helps them deal with connecting to towers in an emergency, and that could just save lives.
