iOS 26.2.1 Addresses Emergency Call Problems on Older iPhones in Australia

Monday January 26, 2026 3:33 pm PST by Juli Clover

The iOS 26.2.1 update that Apple released today further addresses an issue preventing some older mobile phones from being able to make emergency calls.

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In an updated support document, Apple says that iPhone users with an iPhone 12 or earlier should install the latest software updates to ensure that their mobile devices are able to make emergency 000 calls. Apple released iOS 18.7.4, iOS 16.7.13, iOS 15.8.6, and iOS 12.5.8 for older iPhones today.

Back in December, there was a technical failure in Australia that prevented the iPhone 12 models from being able to make emergency calls, which Apple addressed with the iOS 26.2 update. The additional software updates released today should help prevent further issues on other older devices in the future, as well as cellular Apple Watch models. watchOS 26.2.1, also available today, addresses any potential issues with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later.

Apple says that Australian mobile network operators are continuing to improve support for emergency calling on their networks, which led to the iPhone 12 technical failure. While carriers are working to mitigate further issues, there is a possibility that some older mobile phones might still run into problems.

In the rare event that these exceptional circumstances affecting mobile operators' networks were to happen again, some older mobile phones might still encounter the same issue reaching emergency services through an alternate available network.

Software 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.

Apple says that the following iPhones and Apple Watch models should be updated to the latest software version to prevent issues:

iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
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 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
Apple Watch SE 2
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple Watch Series 7
Apple Watch Series 8
Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Series 10
Apple Watch Ultra
Apple Watch Ultra 2

More information is available in Apple's support document covering emergency calls in Australia.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26

Related Forum: iOS 26

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Top Rated Comments

Volk.JP

10 months ago

It’s a shame that even with such a serious problem, Apple hasn’t stopped pushing it’s Liquid Glass, leaving iOS 18 users without the update.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

AppleTO

10 months ago

Anyone know how to install iOS 18.7.4 on an SE2?
The only option so far is ios26 and i dont see a way to request the beta options as the workaround to get v18 updates

You can’t. It’s only supported on devices that don’t support iOS 26.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Nermal

10 months ago

Considering it’s currently summer down there and temperatures in the Outback are in the triple digits… it makes sense

Temperatures are not in the "triple digits". The highest recorded temperature of all time in Australia is 51 degrees, and that was in 1960 (although it reached that point again in 2022).

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Hedkandi

10 months ago

Temperatures are not in the "triple digits". The highest recorded temperature of all time in Australia is 51 degrees, and that was in 1960 (although it reached that point again in 2022).

Um it was 45°C (113°F) forecast today in Melbourne, and we have bushfires destroying property.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

svish

10 months ago

Good to hear a fix for this. Not surprised to see Apple releasing fix for devices running older version of iOS.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

wikiverse

10 months ago

Wait there was a bug for emergency calls? Lmao

It's because Australia turned off 2G and 3G networks and now only has 4G and 5G networks.

It has caused a lot of problems and a lot of people have died as a result - particularly because of problems with the Optus network.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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iOS 26.2.1 Addresses Emergency Call Problems on Older iPhones in Australia

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