The update is available for the iPhone 8, ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, and ‌iPhone‌ X models, and it will allow these devices to place calls to emergency services in Australia. Apple’s release notes say that iOS 16.7.14 fixes a mobile network problem that prevented emergency calls.

After Apple released iOS 16.7.13 last week, it became clear that the software interfered with the emergency call situation in Australia, which has been a problem since December. Apple pulled the update, but not until some people had already downloaded it.

Last Thursday, Apple released a carrier settings update for Telstra customers in Australia that temporarily fixed the issue by adjusting network-related settings.

Australian mobile network operators have been improving support for emergency calling on their networks, which has led to some older iPhones being unable to connect to emergency services in some situations. Apple has been pushing new software to address the issue, including the recent iOS 26.2.1 update.

iOS 16.7.4 can be downloaded by opening up the Settings app on the ‌iPhone‌ and going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is also an iPadOS 16.7.14 update available for older iPads.

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The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s medical device regulator, has approved Apple’s hypertension notification feature for use on Apple Watch, formally listing the software as a medical device on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods earlier this month.

Apple announced hypertension detection in September. The feature is designed to identify patterns associated with elevated blood pressure rather than directly measuring blood pressure itself. It uses data collected by the optical heart sensor on the back of supported Apple Watch models to analyze how blood vessels respond to heartbeats over rolling 30 day periods. If the system detects consistent indicators associated with possible hypertension, the user receives a notification advising follow-up using conventional blood pressure measurement methods.

The system is intended for adults aged 22 and older who are not pregnant and who have not previously been diagnosed with hypertension. It requires an Apple Watch Series 9 or later or an Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later running watchOS 26, paired with an iPhone 11 or later running the latest version of iOS.

Apple can now legally activate the feature for Australian users, although the company has not yet confirmed when it will become available. In previous cases involving regulated health features, Apple has enabled functionality either through a subsequent software update or by remotely activating the feature once regulatory clearance has been obtained. Hypertension notifications have already rolled out in more than 150 countries.

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“Epic is now asking to free ride on Apple’s platform and dismantle every safeguard we’ve put in place to protect users and developers — a request that goes well beyond the Court’s ruling. We will continue to seek an outcome that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience consumers and developers expect from our platform.”

For context, ‌Epic Games‌ sued Apple in Australia way back in 2020, accusing the company of violating competition laws. In August 2025, Australia’s federal court partially sided with Epic, deciding that Apple’s rules prohibiting sideloading and alternative payment methods did indeed violate the Competition and Consumer Act.

The court hasn’t decided on how it will address Apple’s anti-competitive behavior, but ‌Epic Games‌ wants the court to permit sideloading on iPhones in Australia, with no fees paid to Apple.

Apple believes that Epic’s request goes beyond what the court declared in its August ruling. While the judge said Apple’s anti-sideloading rules violated competition law, the ruling also acknowledged that Apple has the right to be paid for its technology, and that Apple’s security and privacy concerns are a valid reason to prohibit third-party app stores.

Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ had a case management hearing on October 17 ahead of additional hearings that will determine the measures that are put in place to address Apple’s alleged violation. ‌Epic Games‌ has submitted its proposed remedies, and the court will now consider the arguments made by ‌Epic Games‌ and Apple.

An initial remedies hearing is set to take place in December, but the full relief hearing has been postponed until March 2026 to give Apple more time to consider and respond to what ‌Epic Games‌ has proposed.

While no decision has been reached, the initial ruling suggests that Apple could be forced to allow sideloading and alternate payment options in Australia, similar to what’s happened in the European Union with the Digital Markets Act. Apple is concerned that the court will reach a decision that could create privacy and security concerns for consumers and expose them to increased risk.

‌Epic Games‌ has claimed that Fortnite will eventually be returning to iOS in Australia as a result of the ruling.

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According to Apple, Roadside Assistance via Satellite can be used in Australia to get help from NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAA, RAC, RACT, and AANT.

Using the feature requires an ‌iPhone‌ 14 or later with satellite capabilities, and iOS 18.4 or later. There continues to be no charge for Apple’s satellite services, though customers who use Roadside Assistance will need to pay the fee of the company that responds.

Both Australians and international travelers who visit Australia are able to use the Roadside Assistance feature.

Prior to now, Roadside Assistance via Satellite was limited to the United States and United Kingdom. Apple says that it is working to bring the functionality to additional regions.

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At the time, the court had not shared a written judgment, but now the 900-page document has been published and additional information on the court’s decision is available. In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said that it does not agree with the court’s decision and will continue to argue its position in court.

Apple does not have a monopoly position in Australia or in any market around the world. We strongly disagree with many decisions in this case, including an improper market definition that has been rejected by other courts. We will continue to seek an outcome that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience that consumers and developers have come to expect from the App Store.

In the Australia case, Epic argued that Apple misused market power by limiting app distribution to the ‌App Store‌, requiring apps to use in-app purchase for digital content, and blocking competition by prohibiting alternative app stores and payment methods.

The court adopted a narrow definition of the markets in play, viewing iOS as its own ecosystem and concluding that Apple has a monopoly over iOS app distribution and in-app payment processing. Apple doesn’t have to make any changes yet, but the court did not look favorably on Apple’s rules against sideloading and third-party payments.

Apple believes that viewing the iPhone as a single brand market is inappropriate, because it faces competition from other platforms like the Google Play Store, the Samsung Galaxy Store, and stores that allow for software purchases on PCs and consoles. Other courts, including the U.S. court overseeing the ‌Epic Games‌ v. Apple case, have not used that market definition.

The Australian court used Europe’s Digital Markets Act as evidence that alternative app distribution is possible, but Apple says that the viewpoint ignores the risks associated with skirting the ‌App Store‌’s security and privacy protections. It is Apple’s position that sideloading risks malware, fraud, and viruses, and subjects users to questionable content because there are few restrictions. Sideloading could also diminish the trust that people have in the ‌iPhone‌, and Apple says that relying on the DMA is a mistake because the DMA hasn’t been around long enough to demonstrate the full effects of weakened security.

Epic did not score a total victory in Australia. The court said that Apple is well within its rights to charge for its intellectual property, found that Apple’s refusal to support third-party app stores is justified, and acknowledged the privacy and security protections provided by the ‌App Store‌.

Remedies to address Apple’s alleged anticompetitive conduct have not yet been determined and Apple hasn’t been ordered to make changes, but after the ruling, ‌Epic Games‌ claimed that Fortnite would be returning to iOS in Australia.

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Federal judge Jonathan Beach found that both companies had broken the law by misusing their market power in the way they run their app stores. Apple was ruled to have engaged in conduct that prevents direct downloading or sideloading of apps and blocks developers from using alternative payment methods. Google was also found to have breached the law for the similar Google Play billing system.

The victory is another win for Epic in its global legal campaign against Apple’s App Store policies. Epic began legal proceedings against Apple in Australia in 2020 after it blocked Fortnite updates when Epic attempted to let players make in-app purchases via its own third-party payment service, bypassing Apple’s 30% commission. Fortnite is still available in Australia on Android, but only through sideloading or through the Samsung store.

“This is a win for developers and consumers in Australia,” Epic said in a post on X (Twitter), though the company conceded that there were 2,000+ pages of findings that it would “need to dig into to fully understand the details.”

Apple said it “strongly disagreed” with the ruling while welcoming the Australian court’s rejection of some of Epic’s other claims.

The ruling follows similar victories for Epic in the United States, where Fortnite returned to the ‌App Store‌ in May, and the European Union, where the game is available through the ‌Epic Games‌‌ Store alternative app marketplace. The U.S. version of Fortnite includes an option for players to purchase in-app currency using the ‌‌Epic Games‌‌ website as an alternative to in-app purchase. It is not available on the ‌‌App Store‌‌ in other countries.

Apple is currently appealing the U.S. court ruling that forced it to change its ‌domestic ‌App Store‌‌ rules to allow developers to link customers to purchase options available outside of the ‌‌App Store‌‌.

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‌Apple News‌+ Audio is primarily designed for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers, and it provides professionally narrated versions of the best stories from ‌Apple News‌. Audio stories can be listened to in the ‌Apple News‌+ app or in the Podcasts app, with Apple highlighting popular stories from subscription publications like The New Yorker, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, and more.

Those who do not subscribe to ‌Apple News‌+ can hear previews of stories, and there’s also a free News Today audio option that’s available to all ‌Apple News‌ users.

‌Apple News‌+ has a robust selection of audio stories, with users able to see top options across categories like News and Politics, Business, Sports, Arts and Entertainment, and True Crime.

In Australia, Canada, and the UK, ‌Apple News‌+ Audio includes audio stories from local publications as well as stories from the U.S.

‌Apple News‌+ is priced at $12.99 USD per month, and it provides access to subscription publications like The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and The Atlantic, along with dozens of magazines and regional newspapers. ‌Apple News‌+ is also included in the Apple One Premier plan priced at $37.95 USD per month.

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