Thousands of older Samsung and iPhones blocked over fatal triple-0 flaw
Tens of thousands of Australians unknowingly carry phones with a fatal flaw that blocks emergency calls, with the defect already linked to at least one death.
Tens of thousands of Australians are unknowingly carrying a ‘phone of death’ – a mobile device that could fail to connect to emergency services when their primary network is unavailable.
It’s a fatal flaw that has already been linked to at least one person dying.
The crisis, which spans all three major network operators – Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone owner TPG Telecom – has prompted an industry-wide scramble to block or force software updates on older Samsung and iPhone devices.
The urgency of the situation will be laid bare in Canberra on Tuesday when Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady, TPG Telecom CEO Inaki Berroeta, and Samsung Australia’s head of mobile Eric Chou are set to appear before a Senate inquiry investigating triple-0 outages.
The core vulnerability, a deadly technical oversight, affects numerous older handsets whose software fails to correctly switch to an alternate mobile network when the user’s primary service is out of range or suffering an outage. This crucial feature is designed to ensure all emergency calls connect, regardless of the user’s subscription.
The human cost of this flaw was revealed last month when Vodafone owner TPG Telecom confirmed a person died in Sydney after one of its customers – understood to be a relative of the deceased – failed to connect to triple-0 using an older Samsung phone. The incident has exposed a systemic failure that has left mobile networks, and the national emergency service, vulnerable.
Optus figures reveal the alarming scale of the domestic risk. As of December 3, the telco has identified 33,209 customers on various Samsung devices who urgently require a software upgrade. This figure, which includes Optus consumer, business and wholesale customers, is described by the company as an “apples for apples” comparison with Telstra’s figure of 114,527 affected devices.
In addition to those needing a fix, Optus confirmed that a further 17,000 Samsung devices that cannot be repaired with a software update have been permanently blocked from the network as of November 24, rendering them incapable of making or receiving any calls – including life-and-death emergency calls.
An Optus spokeswoman said the customers whose devices were identified as unsafe have all been sent SMS and email communications explaining that a software upgrade or replacement is required to continue to connect to triple-0 when the Optus and Telstra networks are unavailable.
The spokeswoman urged customers to take immediate action by following the instructions provided, visiting an Optus store, or calling the Optus Customer Centre for assistance.
But the problem is not exclusive to Optus or Samsung. Telstra group executive global networks and tech Shailin Sehgal confirmed that Telstra had also identified a number of older Samsung devices that are not correctly connecting to the Vodafone mobile network when other networks are unavailable.
“We immediately notified Samsung and the other network operators when we discovered the issue,” Mr Sehgal said earlier this year. “Given the nature of the issue, we’re legally obligated to inform customers impacted and block devices from our network that are not fixed.”
He clarified that the issue does not relate to the Telstra network itself, and it does not impact the ability to call triple-0 while using the Telstra or Optus networks. The danger only arises when both the primary network and the secondary option fail, leaving the device stranded.
The safety warnings are also extending to iPhone users. From December 1, older iPhones will no longer support Vodafone’s Wi-Fi calling feature, including the ability to make triple-0 calls over Wi-Fi. Customers using an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, 11 or later must update to the latest iOS software, while those with an iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and SE (2016) Gen 1 must replace their phones entirely.
The industry-wide response, prompted by a death and regulatory pressure, suggests the issue is far more widespread than previously acknowledged. The initial ‘catch-all’ estimate cited by the ACMA at a supplementary senate estimates hearing was 470,000 potential Optus devices, suggesting the current figures may only represent the tip of a dangerous technological iceberg.
Originally published as Thousands of older Samsung and iPhones blocked over fatal triple-0 flaw
EVs are booming – but they hide a toxic plastic secret
