Aussies with older iPhones urged to update amid natural disaster season

Alexandra FeiamNewsWire

Wed, 28 January 2026 5:57AM

An urgent iPhone update is available for Aussies with older devices. NewsWire / Christian Gilles Credit: News Corp Australia

Australians with older iPhones have been urged to update their devices amid fears they could be unable to contact emergency services in a natural disaster.

Apple released advice for users of certain iPhones after some devices failed to connect to emergency services in December last year due to “technical failure”.

“Staying connected to emergency services is essential, especially in a country as expansive and geographically diverse as Australia,” the tech giant’s support statement read.

An urgent iPhone update is available for Aussies with older devices. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles — An urgent iPhone update is available for Aussies with older devices. NewsWire / Christian Gilles Credit: News Corp Australia

In a statement online, Apple said Australian networks were continuing to “support for emergency calling on their networks”.

“This follows prior incidents, including a technical failure that prevented some older mobile phones from being able to make emergency calls (triple-0),” the tech giant said.

“This impacted some Australians in regional areas who attempted to make an emergency call when their primary mobile network was unavailable, even though an alternate network was available and should have connected the call.

“Mobile operators are taking steps to mitigate future issues.”

The tech company said in “rare” and “exceptional circumstances”, some older iPhone models may encounter the same problem trying to reach emergency services.