Forum Discussion
Smarty sim not working in Australia
Apple iOS Upgrade to 26.1 did the trick !
Arrived in AUS last month and have been frustrated by SOS instead of reception bars on my iPhone since. Finally found time to speak to Smarty on a chat yesterday and they blamed Apple which didn't make sense to me at the time.
My own AI assisted research tells me ...
This issue is not exclusive to Smarty, but Smarty (and Three UK) users seem to be reporting it in higher numbers than users of other UK networks. The root cause is an Australian government-mandated blockade by Australian networks, not a failure of the Smarty SIM/eSIM itself.
The Core Issue: "Triple Zero" Blocking
As of late 2024, Australia has shut down its 3G networks. To prevent people from having phones that look like they have signal but cannot actually dial 000 (Emergency Services), the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) introduced a rule requiring networks to actively block any phone that is not correctly configured to make emergency calls over 4G (VoLTE) on their specific network. (NB: people have sadly died due to this 000 issue in AUS so it's not just red tape for the sake of it)
The Impact: If your phone/SIM combination does not send the correct "VoLTE Emergency" handshake to the Australian network immediately upon arrival, the local network will block your device completely. You will see "SOS Only" or "No Service."
You can check if your mobile is blocked on Telstra's network by searching for "3G Network Closure Blocked Devices Checker" (actual link not allowed apparently). My iPhone wasn't flagged, yet I still had SOS, no sadly not 100% effective.
My iPhone 12 mini has, until yesterday, been stuck on iOS 17 even with auto-updates selected. When I went in to check what version it was yesterday I was offered, for the first time, the opportunity to install iOS 26.1, which I took. My Smarty eSIM now works in AUS, no issues. So it seems Smarty's advice that Apple needed to do something was correct, though they could have added the need to check for any iOS updates when in AUS.
I should mention that I have both a UK Apple ID and an AUS Apple ID. When in AUS I use the latter, which is maybe why I was suddenly able to jump from iOS 17 to 26.1.
Anyway, I hope this helps my fellow Smarty users while they enjoy the lucky country!
That is interesting - actually great - news. I was in Australia at the beginning of the year and, like you, couldn't use my Smarty sim, which was infuriating as so many UK companies now insist on 2FA and most only offer the mobile phone text option, so I was unable to access bank accounts etc. while away I posted on several threads on the subject on the Smarty forum (nobody seems to manage threads, so similar issues do not get merged) but got no useful info.
My wife has the same phone (iPhone 12) as me. Her PAYG O2 sim worked fine in Australia. What I should have done, but regrettably didn't, was put her sim in my phone to verify it wasn't purely a phone issue. Smarty claim that it's an iPhone issue, but if it is/was an iPhone-related issue, it seems to be an issue that mainly affects iPhone users with a Smarty sim!
I'm returning to Australia for a couple of months early next year, and cannot afford to have 2FA problems again, so was, just a minute ago checking out Lebara sims, when I thought I'd do one last trawl to see if there was any updated information on the Smarty problem, and came across your post.
I've now followed that up and Smarty has just confirmed, in response to my direct question, that the issue is resolved, and Apple themselves (but only on their Australian site) have said, in the release notes for iOS26.2, that it ... "addresses a mobile network issue for iPhone 12 models when establishing a connection to emergency services in Australia"
Hopefully that is the end of the saga!
