Apple patches bug causing iPhone network issues in recent update

Apple has moved rapidly to address an iOS bug, which earlier this week was reported to be causing serious network issues in Australia.

Telecoms firm Telstra issued a support document on Wednesday explaining that a bug was “preventing some older Apple devices from connecting to our network,” including calls to emergency services, and identifying the new iOS 16.7.13 update as the likely cause. In response Apple paused iOS 16.7.13, along with iOS 18.7.4, 15.8.6, and 12.5.8, and began an investigation.

That investigation didn’t take long, and as Telstra explains on the updated support page, Apple has now pushed out a carrier settings update to resolve the issue. This applies only to users of that network running iOS 16.7.13, indicating that the problem was relatively limited in its effects. Users running iOS 12, 15, and 18 can download the update without issue.

Telstra customers who already installed iOS 16.7.13 don’t need to update iOS to get the fix. Instead, they should make sure their iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, then open the Settings app and go to General > About. A prompt should appear asking the customer to accept a carrier settings update; tapping OK will begin the installation.

To confirm the process worked, customers should return to the General > About page and check the entry labelled Service Provider. If the update has installed correctly, this should now read “Telstra 54.1.”

While this appears to resolve the situation, it’s worth noting that iOS 16.7.13 remains unable to install. It’s likely Apple will push a new update soon with the carrier settings fix included.