We’ve come a long way since then. Today, even entry-level to mid-range Android and iOS devices can easily meet the demands of most consumers. Hardware and overall performance have been so good for so long that typical users don’t need to shell out $2000 or more for a decent smartphone any more.

But that doesn’t mean the market is dud-free. Rather, what’s considered a poor performer in 2025 may have been a decent phone in 2020. It’s important to keep this context in mind if you can remember the birth of the iPhone – how are your joints feeling, by the way?

In our comprehensive product tests, our experts have identified the smartphones you should avoid and the models with the worst battery life.

The worst smartphones in our test

The poorest performers in our smartphone test also happen to be the cheapest. Though the market is full of models that are arguably overpriced, the truth is that low-cost smartphones are often a case of getting what you paid for.

Motorola Moto G04

• Price (RRP): $179
• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 49%
• Camera quality score: 41%
• Battery life score: 55%
• Performance score: 38%
• Display score: 41%
• Battery life (hours): 33:00 

While there’s always going to be a market for basic, low-cost phones designed to get the job done, the Moto G04 has one major flaw. It doesn’t get the job done.

Overall performance, sound and display quality are all poor, with the screen lacking sharpness and clarity. Don’t bust out that selfie stick either, because the camera is pretty subpar as well.

It is quite durable, however. Ironic, given that you’ll probably want to break this middling Motorola as soon as possible.

Read the full Motorola Moto G04 review.

Nokia G22

• Price (RRP): $299
• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 53%
• Camera quality score: 43%
• Battery life score: 58%
• Performance score: 41%
• Display score: 55%
• Battery life (hours): 34:00 

While Nokia’s G22 is a bit better than the Moto G04, it isn’t worth the extra $120. Maybe it would be a decent deal at $179, but $299? Get outta here.

Performance and camera quality are substandard, and additional features like the GPS, fingerprint scanner and even networking (4 and 5G) don’t work very well. Though the screen is slightly better, it’s still only OK and may not have great clarity in bright, outdoor environments.

Read the full Nokia G22 review.

Nokia G42 5G

• Price (RRP): $449
• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 58%
• Camera quality score: 52%
• Battery life score: 58%
• Performance score: 50%
• Display score: 56%
• Battery life (hours): 35:30 

The G42 5G is just so middle of the road that it’s really only worth considering during a sale. Because $449 is far too much for a phone that’s only OK.

Granted, it has a decent set of features that operate well and it is quite durable. But all the other features – display, overall performance, camera quality and battery life – are pretty mediocre. Actually, there isn’t much more to say, this phone is just that average.

Read the full G42 5G review.

Motorola Moto G24

• Price (RRP): $229
• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 59%
• Camera quality score: 51%
• Battery life score: 61%
• Performance score: 43%
• Display score: 49%
• Battery life (hours): 43:00 

The G24 isn’t too bad when you consider the price, but it falls apart in some key areas. Performance, in particular, is poor, which means this phone runs slowly.

That may not be a deal breaker depending on your needs, but the borderline quality screen is also difficult to use. These issues are enough to make this smartphone one to avoid.

Credit where credit is due, though: sound quality is great. Perhaps it is worth considering if you love listening to music exclusively through smartphone speakers (that’s a joke, please don’t do that).

Read the full Motorola Moto G24 review.

Smartphones with the shortest battery life in our test

Google might be one of the biggest tech companies on the planet, but many of its smartphones bombed out in our battery tests. The recently released iPhone Air also struggles to hold a decent charge compared to other models from Apple.

These are the only models to score less than 50% in our battery life test, despite many being at the pricier end of the spectrum.

Google Pixel 8

• Price (RRP): $1199
• Battery life score: 48%
• Battery life (hours): 19:30

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

• Price (RRP): $2299
• Battery life score: 48%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 18:00

Apple iPhone Air

• Price (RRP): $1799
• Battery life score: 49%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 29:30

Google Pixel 8a

• Price (RRP): $949
• Battery life score: 49%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 22:30

Google Pixel 9

• Price (RRP): $1399
• Battery life score: 49%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 21:00

Google Pixel 9 Pro

• Price (RRP): $1699
• Battery life score: 49%
• Battery life (hh:mm): 21:00

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That’s how I first found out about Brick. 

Brick is a physical device designed to limit screen time for those who spend way too much time doom scrolling on their mobile devices – i.e. me. It looks like… a brick. A small, cube-shaped lump of plastic that can fit in the palm of your hand. Using the accompanying Brick app, you can select a number of mobile apps you want to stop using for a specific period of time. Then you simply scan your phone on the device like you’re paying for a coffee and blam: you’re bricked. 

The Brick was all over my Instagram feed for months, but I never seriously considered getting “bricked” until one argument with my wife. As we were politely exploring one another’s extensive, deep-seated character flaws, my beautiful one-and-only said something along the lines of “… and ANOTHER thing, you spend way too much time on your phone after work!”

The rest of the argument is a blur to me because, as soon as she said those words I started considering, “maybe I should buy that expensive lump of plastic that’s poisoning my social media algorithms and put this problem to bed once and for all”.

So it was decided, when the dust settled on our argument, I quietly jumped on to my mobile phone and ordered myself a “Brick”.

First impressions

The Brick came encased in packaging that was a lot slicker than I expected, considering it was a product I bought from an Instagram ad. 

The black box is emblazoned with the message “your phone is about to become a tool again”. The whole package is polished in a way that makes me almost cynical, like maybe (almost certainly) I overpaid for a product that does what a simple app could probably do. 

But another part of me – the part that has experience in these things – says something different. It says “sometimes you have to spend money to get invested”. Maybe I need that sunk cost fallacy to actually motivate me to do something about my bad habits. Anyone who’s paid for a personal trainer or a meal plan or even therapy can probably relate. When you spend money trying to fix yourself, you become accountable to the money you spent.

So instead of chucking the Brick in a corner and getting back to doom scrolling, I install the app and start fiddling around. 

How it works

The way the Brick works is intuitive enough. It invites you to create a series of different “modes”, and to manage the level of interaction you’re allowed with your phone within each mode.

For example I created “work mode” where I allow myself to take phone calls and receive WhatsApp messages, but block social media apps like Instagram and TikTok. I created a more stringent “family mode” with even more apps blocked for Friday evenings to help me avoid checking my phone when spending time with my kids. 

Just writing that sounds pathetic – and I get it. As an adult human being I should have better control over my screen habits, but given Silicon Valley is hellbent on using every technique at its disposal to harvest our attention for monetary gain, maybe a tool like Brick isn’t such a bad way to fight back. 

But it’s a weird one. Brick has the feel of a Silicon Valley product. Using it has a “snake eating itself” vibe, but I’ve been re-framing it as fighting fire with fire. Because, despite feeling a little pathetic, the Brick is effective. Very effective. Once you’ve tapped on using the Brick, there’s no going back (well, unless you admit total defeat and tap back off). 

There’s a few ways to use Brick. If you want to be strict with yourself, you can schedule start and end times for your various modes, but you can also just physically tap on and off, like you’re using public transport. 

As someone who’s not super big on scheduling my life in advance, I enjoyed this feature the most. If it was dinner time and we were eating as a family, I could simply read the room and tap on to Brick, then tap back off after the kids went to sleep. Very convenient. 

Almost too convenient you might suggest – to the extent that it doesn’t really help reduce screentime at all? I wondered if the ease with which I could tap off the Brick might destroy its effectiveness, but that wasn’t really the case. Just the simple fact that an obstacle existed was enough to break some of the patterns of addiction my brain had established. I couldn’t just grab my phone during an ad-break or a lull in conversation, so that was enough to break the base layer of my compulsions.

The verdict

The Brick works. Sometimes it works a little too well. Just the other day I tapped on to the Brick to rattle through some deep work before heading to a doctor’s appointment I had scheduled later in the day. When I rushed out, late for my appointment, I forgot to tap off. That meant I had to sit for 90 minutes in a waiting room between tests with access to all my apps completely gone! I had to grab one of those ratty copies of Women’s Weekly just to occupy my attention. How did we live before smart phones?

Would I recommend Brick? It depends how much you need it. If you’re a person absolutely desperate to manage your screentime and feel like your impulse control is non-existent, I genuinely feel like a Brick could be useful. I found that it worked for me and I’m not alone. A couple of my terminally online friends also gave Brick a go and they found it as useful as I did. 

But if you, unlike me, find it relatively easy to log off and touch grass you can probably go without.

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On this page:

• Should you buy a phone outright or through a plan?
• Operating systems
• Reception and coverage
• Battery life
• Camera quality
• Other features to look for in a smartphone
• Australia's best smartphone brand
• How to recycle your old smartphone

Before you commit to buying your next phone, it’s important to do your research to find the best option for you. This comprehensive guide aims to give you a handy headstart.

Should you buy a phone outright or through a plan?

It really depends on what you want to buy. Paying upfront may end up saving you quite a lot of money in the long run, so if you can afford it, it’s definitely worth considering.

However, if paying upfront isn’t an option (let’s face it, smartphones are anything but cheap!), there are plenty of post-paid phone plan options available through different telcos. These allow you to make smaller monthly payments for the phone (in addition to your call and data charges) over a locked-in period of time that usually spans 12, 24 or 36 months.

If you go for the phone plan option, the amount you end up paying may vary, depending on the individual contract and how you use your phone. As always, it’s best to do your research and compare costs as much as possible.

Operating systems

The phone’s operating system (OS) is the thing that’ll turn the phone (and possibly you) on or off. There are two options to choose from.

Apple iPhone OS (iOS)

If you already have (or plan to buy) other devices made by Apple, such as an iPad, MacBook or iMac, then an iPhone using iOS would be a good choice.

If you like dependable sameness with no surprises and solid compatibility with a good range of devices, then you should consider an Apple iPhone using iOS, although you do pay a premium price.

The operating system for the Apple laptop and desktop computing devices has been evolving into a similar look and feel to the iPhone, so you should feel comfortable moving from one device to another without having to relearn anything.

Also, if you’re considering buying the Apple Watch, or have already bought an Apple Watch, then you need an iPhone, as the Apple Watch won’t work with any other smartphone.

Apple has a strong reputation for providing ongoing OS update and security support for a smartphone for several years.

Google Android

Google Android is an open platform, which means any company can develop apps for smart devices that use the Android operating system. You can find it everywhere, from smartwatches to TVs to fridges to cars.

If you like to customise your mobile experience and want to work with the latest tech devices as soon as they come out, then an Android-based smartphone is your best option.

The open nature of Android’s OS means there may not be the exact ‘sameness’ in the look and feel compared to Apple’s closed iOS environment. The latest Android smartphones are made by companies that introduce their own look and feel elements. 

So you may be a fan of Motorola phones and not so keen on Samsung or Oppo phones, even though all of these models operate on the same operating system.

Reception and coverage

Getting a network signal remains the crucial factor in daily use of a smartphone, although more and more of us are taking advantage of hotspots and Wi-Fi areas to communicate via social networking. But if you still use your smartphone for making phone calls, or you want to go online away from a Wi-Fi hotspot, you need good reception.

4G, also known as LTE (Long Term Evolution), is a wireless standard to get faster online performance from your mobile phone and coverage is currently the widest available mobile network option.

When combined with the latest 5G networks, it should deliver even more bandwidth at higher speeds. Major carriers like Vodafone, Optus and Telstra continue to roll out stronger performance across a wider area, with smartphones offering support for 5G networks becoming standard for all but the cheapest and simplest mobiles.

Before buying your next smartphone, make sure it’s optimised for your mobile network. To make the situation very clear, when buying your phone, confirm with the salesperson that the phone supports all the available 4G and 5G bands for your network and local area, particularly if you’re now using your smartphone as your home phone as well.

Battery life

Being unable to use your phone for longer than a day or so can be frustrating, but it’s important to remember that the increased functionality of a smartphone with a large screen demands more power than a simple talk and text mobile.

Battery life is one of the key things we test when we review smartphones. It’s worth checking the capacity of the battery for the phone you’re interested in and comparing it to another phone with a similar-sized display. Higher capacity batteries generally deliver longer battery life.

If you really need to keep your mobile going and can’t get to a charger, you may want to consider having a powerbank nearby.

Camera quality

Picture and video capture quality is not just determined by your smartphone’s resolution, but also the ability to deliver a good image in different lighting situations. 

If you use your phone as a camera, you may want to look for a model with a dedicated camera button rather than having to hunt through the menu system to capture the perfect selfie. An LED flash can be very useful too when you’re taking a photo with a phone, especially when the available light isn’t very good. 

Almost all smartphones now have a front-facing camera, which lets you use your phone for selfies or video calls. 

Other features to look for in a smartphone

Connection types

Connecting your smartphone to a charger or computer can be confusing if you use different brands or smartphone operating systems. Android smartphones use a mix of micro USB and USB-C cable connections, with the vast majority of new Android models using USB-C. 

Until recently Apple had a mix of Lightning and USB-C connections across their range of MacBooks and iPads, with iPhones using the company’s proprietary Lightning connection. The release of the iPhone 15 range with USB-C connection will most likely help push forward USB-C as the industry-wide connection option over time. 

Near-field communication (NFC)

This comes in handy with cashless transactions and as a quick way to pair devices with your smartphone. 

Tethering or hotspot 

If you want to use your phone as a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth modem, or if you have WLAN tethering, you can enjoy the same benefits as a personal hotspot, where you can share your internet connection with other devices like other mobiles or laptop computers. It’s a handy feature if you’ve got a large data allocation and you’re away from your normal home network connection. 

The wider adoption of 5G networks will also potentially get you better than NBN performance from your mobile – in theory.

Flight (airplane) mode

This is a very handy feature that turns off all the phone and network aspects of your phone, turning the device into a music or video player so you don’t need to turn it off during a flight. Most modern smartphones have this feature shown as an airplane icon in the settings menu.

GPS

While most smartphones provide support for online map services like Google Maps, a dedicated GPS chip using an offline navigation application allows you to use your phone to find out exactly where you are without having to use your mobile phone network. 

Headphone connection type

A phone with a 3.5mm jack will let you use a standard set of headphones to listen to music. Apple iPhones from the iPhone 7 onwards, along with the latest Google Pixel mobiles, no longer provide a 3.5mm headphone jack, forcing you to either go wireless or use a finicky dongle to plug in your favourite pair of headphones.

Memory card

Mobiles with memory card slots have the option of expanded memory to store photos, videos and music. Though there have been quite a few card types in the past, smartphones with expanded memory use micro SD these days, as far as we’ve seen.

Australia’s best smartphone brand

So which brand of smartphone should you buy? With so many choices out there, it can be hard to separate the good from the somewhat average. That’s where we can help.

In addition to independently testing over 50 smartphones in the past two years, we surveyed our members about the phones they own. We use this data to determine which brands are the most reliable, and which have the best customer satisfaction. 

This feedback, along with our test results, is used determine the best smartphone brand.

How the brands stack up

The best smartphone brand for 2024 is Samsung. 

This is the fourth time that Samsung has earned the title and the first time it isn’t shared with Apple since 2020.

Both Apple and Samsung had a number of models that performed well in 2024, but there was some variance between the two brands in our reliability and satisfaction surveys. Apple’s brand reliability (77%) remains below the average compared to other brands, even though it performs well for satisfaction (89%).

Note that while Huawei met the criteria for Best Brand, the company is banned from selling smartphones on Australia’s 5G network due to security and privacy issues. As such, we cannot recommend this brand.

To find out which specific smartphone models we recommend based on our test results, and to make sure you buy the best, click on the ‘Recommended’ checkbox in the filters section of our smartphone reviews.

How to repurpose your old smartphone

An smartphone or tablet may be lacking the grunt required to meet your daily demands, but can still be useful for jobs that require a little less processing power.

Smartphones and tablets often find new life as a universal remote to control smart devices, and their various apps, around the home. You can also use them to play music and video from streaming services or a home server and cast to compatible devices.

It’s not uncommon to see an old iPad attached to the wall as a digital calendar or family planner either, and you can save a bundle on baby monitors by mounting a phone/tablet with a monitoring app above the bassinet instead.

How to recycle your old smartphone

Smartphones are full of recyclable materials including rare, valuable metals such as gold, silver, platinum and copper. 99% of these can be reused if you recycle your phone correctly. They may wind up in new tech products, or they could have a new life as something entirely different.

For example, the plastic used in mobile phone casing can be processed into pellets which is used to make products like packing pallets. Not only does this mean less plastics are being produced, it cuts down on the energy required to make new plastics as recycling is far more efficient.

is a free industry-backed organisation that recycles mobile phones, smartphones, phone batteries, power banks and accessories. You can drop accepted items off at a number of locations including Optus, Telstra and Vodafone stores, Officeworks and even some council chambers. to find your nearest location.

Why is e-waste so bad?

Toxic materials and hazardous chemicals are often used in the manufacture of computer and electronic equipment including smartphones, and when parts are disposed of improperly these chemicals can leach into soil and water and lead to environmental contamination.

Deleting data before you recycle

The reasons for not recycling your phone may include fear of losing personal data or data getting into the wrong hands, not knowing where to recycle your devices, and having to pay to have your devices properly recycled. Though there’s a corporate responsibility for manufacturers to make greener products, the onus is still on consumers to recycle or repurpose their old smartphones. 

How to wipe your devices

Smartphones and tablets can be reset to factory settings with a few simple steps.

iPhone and iPads: Settings > General > Reset and then select Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your Apple ID, if needed.

Android devices: System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) > Delete all data. Enter your password, if needed.

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If you’re wondering why telcos in Australia seem to fail their customers so often without facing a major regulatory overhaul, consider the Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code.  

The name conveys a weighty sense of legislative power, but in fact the code was created by the industry itself, and the government body that oversees the sector – the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – merely reviews and approves it. 

It theoretically has the force of law at that point, but in the last two years ACMA has taken action on TCP Code violations only three times. In each case, the punishment was light – the telcos were formally instructed to comply with the code. (ACMA took a number of other regulatory actions over that time for violations of other industry codes, standards and acts.) 

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s (TIO) 2024–25 annual report contains a fresh batch of evidence that the TCP Code isn’t working as intended, especially for customers in financial trouble. 

Hardship complaints to the ombudsman went up 46% compared to the previous 12 months, a statistic that calls for some historical perspective. Telco customers often end up missing payments because they were sold services they couldn’t afford by pushy salespeople, as was the case when Optus targeted First Nations and other vulnerable customers with inappropriate products and services and sent debt collectors after them when they couldn’t pay. 

(The company was hit with a $100 million penalty for the conduct in September this year in a case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), not ACMA. In 2021, an ACCC case arising from similarly unconscionable practices resulted in a $50 million penalty for Telstra.) 

The Optus and Telstra examples are high profile cases that are part of a larger pattern across the industry, according to Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO Carol Bennett. In her view, the latest TIO report proves matters are only getting worse. 

“The TIO’s findings confirm what we are hearing every day – that poor sales practices and inadequate safeguards are hurting consumers, particularly those who are already vulnerable. The evidence is overwhelming: mis-selling, misleading coverage claims and poor handling of financial hardship are systemic industry issues.”

According to ACCAN’s research, 43% of consumers don’t trust their mobile or home internet provider to act in their best interest, 30% say the coverage they receive is different to what they were told, and 21% report feeling pressured to sign up for a more expensive plan than they wanted. Then there’s the quality of the service you get, especially on our most frequently used devices. Complaints to the TIO about poor mobile coverage rose 25% in 2024–25.

Advocates urge ACMA to scrap the code

After an industry review that took over two years, an updated TCP Code was submitted to ACMA for registration in May this year. The regulator recently rejected this updated version, but consumer advocates have had enough of ACMA’s light touch approach to the telco sector. 

In September this year, the Fair Call Coalition – an alliance of 20 consumer organisations – called on ACMA to scrap the industry’s self-regulatory code and move to direct regulation, especially when it comes to essential telco consumer protections, such as hardship provisions.  

To an extent, direct regulation is already in place. In July this year, ACMA rolled out enforceable industry standards for consumers experiencing domestic and family violence.

The guidance in the TCP Code is for telcos to offer flexible repayment options to family violence victims ‘where possible’. But this guidance alone clearly wasn’t enough to protect those impacted by family violence  – telcos often made the situation worse for victims and their children beyond the issue of debt. When a victim tried to deal with a telco on their own to keep their services active, companies often insisted that the abuser take part in the process. The new enforceable standards aim to address these issues.

“Under these rules, customers will not have to repeatedly explain their circumstances and will be able to choose the time and method for communication with their telco. Importantly, these customers will also be able to access this assistance confident that they will never be asked to engage with the alleged perpetrator to resolve their telco issues,” ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said in July. 

Pressure sales, flimsy credit checks 

But there are still no enforceable standards in areas of longstanding consumer harm such as sales practices and credit assessments, and telco customers continue to be upsold on services that are financially inappropriate for their circumstances.  

“ACMA must demonstrate that it has the backbone to stand up for consumers. It is simply not acceptable to keep accepting a deeply flawed self-regulatory code that has proven to have failed consumers,” Bennett says. 

Other members of the Fair Call Coalition are in agreement. 

“Calls to Mob Strong Debt Help about telcos tripled in the last year – showing the impact on First Nations peoples from telco failures,” says Mob Strong senior financial counselling and strategy lead Bettina Cooper. 

“We have seen harm done to First Nations people before when regulators shy away from their responsibilities and protecting First Nations people’s financial rights.” 

“It is clear that self-regulation isn’t working in the telco sector,” says Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) CEO Erin Turner. 

“In 2024, CPRC found that 55% of Australians had a problem with a telco service, yet nearly half of this group (46%) didn’t raise their complaint as they don’t trust telcos to hear them out and fix problems. It is time for our consumer protection framework to be upgraded to reflect how essential telco services are for our lives.”  

Financial Counselling Australia director of policy and campaigns Rebekah Sarkoezy says financial counsellors regularly “support clients who are struggling with unaffordable debt due the bad sales practices and poor affordability checks of telcos. They deserve adequate protection, and self-regulation simply just doesn’t cut it”. 

ACMA knows the TCP Code is failing 

Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) obtained documents through Freedom of Information requests that reveal just how slow ACMA is moving on the key issues affecting telco customers, chief among them sales practices, credit assessments, and financial hardship support. 

Though heavily redacted, they show that ACMA committed to moving to direct regulation by the end of 2023 unless the TCP Code started effectively dealing with these issues, which it clearly has not. 

Email exchanges between ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin and the communications industry peak body, the Australian Telecommunications Alliance, in September 2024 reveal that ACMA had serious concerns about the TCP Code’s guidance on sales practices. 

“Despite this, ACMA seemingly held the industry’s hand to chart a course to avoid direct regulation,” ACCAN said in a joint Fair Call Coalition statement, adding that the FOI documents “paint a picture of a regulator who recognises ongoing consumer harm, yet through delays and inaction continues to tolerate the deficiencies it has identified in the code”. 

For CEO Carol Bennett, the time has come for the federal regulator to take control. 

“It is beyond time ACMA puts consumers first and treats telco as the essential service it is by putting an end to the self-regulatory system that has been in place for too long and harmed too many.” 

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is calling on the federal government to impose conditions on Optus’s licence to operate following back-to-back outages and the loss of triple-0 services for thousands of Australians. 

The latest outage on 28 September affected around 4500 Optus customers around Wollongong and the south coast of NSW, where nine triple-0 calls reportedly failed to get through. 

Ten days earlier, an Optus outage led to hundreds of failed triple-0 calls. Three people reportedly died after failing to connect to triple-0 during the time of the outage. The Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA) is investigating this incident. 

ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett says it’s time to force telcos to have processes in place to prevent triple-0 failures. In Optus’s case, it should be a condition on their licence to provide services. 

“Every time the network goes down, it undermines public confidence and puts people at risk. This can be catastrophic and cause immense harm. The community must have confidence that the emergency call system works 100% of the time when they most need it,” Bennett says. 

“Before these devastating outages, Optus was already facing major consumer trust issues. Now this lack of trust is spreading to damage confidence in our emergency service system itself.”

Triple Zero Custodian not yet active 

Optus has had years to ensure its systems could handle a failure without knocking out triple-0 services. A nationwide Optus outage in 2023 left around 10 million people without service and 2000 calls to triple-0 unanswered. 

An ACMA investigation at the time concluded that Optus had breached emergency call service regulations and the telco paid a $12 million penalty. 

Following the 2023 breakdown, a Triple Zero Custodian framework was recommended in a review commissioned by the federal government. It called for the emergency call system across Australia to be independently monitored. 

The custodian role that would manage this reportedly exists within the federal government but has yet to be activated. Following the recent Optus failures, Communications Minister Anika Wells told media outlets that she intends to prioritise this. 

In a statement following the most recent Optus outages, ACMA said that being able to contact emergency services is “the most fundamental responsibility every telco provider has to the public”. The agency is investigating whether Optus has once again breached emergency call service regulations. 

“Australians are seeing a repeat of failures to provide the reliable service that they need and deserve,” Bennett says.  

“The communications minister must act and use carrier licence conditions to mandate independent technical oversight of Optus’ emergency and network reliability systems. This would provide some assurance that there is strict oversight preventing further failures.” 

Optus failures on other fronts suggests that corporate culture may be at issue. 

In November last year, we reported that the telco had pressured around 429 consumers into buying products and services they didn’t actually need or want, and sent debt collectors after them when they couldn’t pay. 

Many were First Nations Australians from regional and remote areas or people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. In June this year, Optus agreed to pay a $100 million penalty for the conduct. 

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What is the Nothing Phone (3)?

The smartphone industry is often criticised for being overly safe, with design changes that are incremental rather than offering anything truly different. Since it arrived on the scene in 2021, Nothing has made a name for itself offering a fresh alternative to the standard Android smartphone approach at the mid-priced ($500 to $1000) range.

The Nothing Phone (3) is competing with the big end of town ($1500-plus), with its large screen, fast performance and high-quality camera. However, the standout aspect to this smartphone is the ability to customise the look and feel of the interface, and the ‘Glyph’ interface on the back of the phone (more on this later). 

It features a sharp and bright 6.7-inch high resolution AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and a wide colour gamut. In terms of connectivity, there’s dual 5G SIM support as well as eSIM and Wi-Fi 7 for very fast speed if you have appropriate wireless network support. The phone can also handle all the bumps and falls of daily life, as well as a dunk in the pool, thanks to its IP68 certification. 

The clear case it comes with protects the raised camera lens, provides access to the Glyph button, and lets you see all the Glyph flashing lights when getting notifications.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S chipset with 3.21GHz clock-rate provides very good performance and the 12GB of onboard RAM allows you to work on multiple apps with ease. The phone can be unlocked biometrically with a fingerprint sensor or face recognition.

Glyphs: Gimmick, or useful tool?

Nothing phones are known for their brightly flashing backs, with lights that form signs and signals known as ‘Glyphs’. These Glyphs provide the user with information such as call or message notifications or the battery level. 

The Nothing (3) has introduced a ‘Glyph Matrix’, a little screen in the top right corner of the phone’s back that includes notifications, utilities and ‘Glyph Toys’. 

Some of these are useful, and some might be considered whimsical. 

App-specific alerts, a digital clock, stopwatch, battery level indicator, solar clock and a simple compass are useful tools. Spin the Bottle, Rock/Paper/Scissors and Magic 8 Ball maybe less so. 

A dedicated button at the back of the phone allows you to switch between Glyph toys, and you can enable just those you wish to use.

Camera performance

The camera system consists of three lenses with a 50MP camera (ultra-wide, wide and tele), and a 50MP front camera that might be overkill for a selfie that will rarely be printed. Image and video quality is overall very good, with the main camera lens performance up there with the best on offer from Google, Apple or Samsung. 

Camera menu features are surprisingly useful and, importantly, easy to find. An action camera option will be popular for a range of users – from families with kids running everywhere at a party, to active outdoor enthusiasts wanting to capture the subject in the moment rather than as a messy blur.

Battery and charging performance

The 5500mAh battery delivers excellent performance for daily use and compares favourably with the best on offer from Google, Samsung and Apple. When you use a high-capacity charger, the Nothing Phone (3) will deliver a fully charged device in a little more than an hour. 

Look and feel

The Nothing Phone (3) puts the volume buttons on the left side of the phone, and the power button on the right. This allows for simple control of the volume with the thumb when held in the left hand, and the power button falls comfortably under the middle finger. Buttons require a firm press so you won’t be bothered by an overly sensitive response, and the phone is comfortable to hold, especially considering it has such a large display. 

An additional button, the ‘Essential Key’, sits below the power button. Pressing it once will capture the content on your screen and save it to a hub called ‘Essential Space’. You can long-press it to start recording a voice memo – an interesting feature, but not one that everyone will find useful, and unfortunately you can’t allocate another action to this button.

When transferring your details from another device, the Nothing operating system (OS) provides a simple and efficient transfer process either wirelessly or via a cable connection. The almost universal adoption of USB-C across Android and recent Apple iPhone devices means you can tether the supplied cable from your old device to the Nothing (3) and have everything come across, including stored content and personal details.

Nothing Phone (3) competitors

The Nothing Phone (3) smartphone is targeted at competing with some fairly specific models from Apple, Samsung and Google. Keep in mind that Apple and Google release their latest and greatest models in September, whereas Samsung usually announce its newest range early in the year.

If you were looking to compare it with an Apple device, the most similar would be the iPhone 16 Plus, which has just had a price drop with the release of the iPhone 17 range, making it around $100 more than the similarly configured Nothing (3). The downside is the iPhone 16 range is older and the display is a bit smaller. We haven’t yet reviewed the iPhone 17, but it could also be a good option particularly if you’re wedded to Apple, you don’t have $2000 to spend, and want an extremely thin smartphone.

Google fans who want a very clean Android OS smartphone could consider the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL as the closest to the Nothing Phone (3) in terms of screen and performance, but it remains at a premium price of around $2000. Interestingly, the previous Pixel 9 Pro XL has remained at the same price of $2000, but you can expect it to drop significantly – if it appears for around the same price as the Nothing (3) at around $1500 it would suddenly become a great Android smartphone option.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 range has been out for most of 2025 and it shows in the pricing, with some great deals on the latest range. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is very similar to the Nothing (3) in terms of performance, storage and RAM and has a comparable 6.7-inch display. It’s currently on special for $1300, making it very difficult to encourage Samsung fans to seriously consider the Nothing (3) as an alternative.

In summary, if you’re an Apple or Google user wanting something different, the Nothing Phone (3) offers a compelling value option with similar performance. If you want to stay in the Samsung universe and you’re looking to upgrade but you like the display size and features of the Nothing (3), it’s probably a good idea to go with the Samsung Galaxy S25 while it’s at a bargain price.

What’s in the box?

As with all the latest smartphones, the Nothing (3) comes in a minimalist package with no charger, based on the assumption you have one already. 

There’s a good-sized (100cm) USB-C cable, a SIM tray ejector tool and, importantly, a clear case, which is all you should need as you want the world to see the back of your phone ‘Glyphing’ about brightly. 

The Nothing Phone (3) gets corrective and functionality updates for seven years from the release date, five years of Android updates and seven years of security updates.

Specifications

• Processor: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
• Display: 6.67″ AMOLED (2800×1260, 460ppi), 4500 nits peak brightness, 120Hz, Gorilla Glass 7I
• Memory: 12GB-256GB / 16GB-512GB (option $1689)
• Battery: 5150mAh, 65W wired charging, 15W wireless charging
• Camera (rear): 50MP Main (f/1.68, OIS, EIS), 50MP Periscope (f/2.68, OIS, EIS, 60x Ultra Zoom), 50MP Ultra-wide (f/2.2, 114° FOV)
• Camera (front):  50MP (f/2.2, 81.2° FOV)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, 5G
• Other: Stereo speakers, IP68, in-display fingerprint sensor
• Size: 160.60 x 75.59 x 8.99mm, 218g
• Colors: White, Black
• Software: Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15), 5 years of Android updates, 7 years of security patches

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Best SIM-only phone plan provider: Amaysim

Amaysim scored highest for overall satisfaction and in several other categories, followed closely by ALDImobile. 

Of the mobile phone plan providers we had enough data to report on, the major three – Telstra, Vodafone and Optus – were the only ones to score below average for SIM-only plans, taking the last three places for overall satisfaction, as well as in some other categories.

Best SIM + handset phone plan provider: Telstra

Telstra scored highest for overall satisfaction, but not by much. While no provider in this category scored significantly better or worse than the next mobile service provider above or below them for overall satisfaction, the lowest scorer – Optus (69%) – was significantly below Vodafone’s 74%.

The number of mobile service providers with SIM + handset plans that we could report on is limited, both because of our responses but also because there are fewer players in this section of the market.

How is the best phone provider calculated?

Overall satisfaction score

Our mobile satisfaction survey rates providers based on their own customers’ feedback on how they’re performing. Our 2023 survey covered a range of questions such as call clarity, internet speed, customer service and how clear the bill is to understand. We also asked people how satisfied they were with their provider overall.

What matters to you

When it comes to selecting a SIM and phone provider, the most important factors respondents listed were: value for money (61%), network reliability (46%), network coverage (45%), and internet connectivity (23%).

SIM-only plans dominated – 69% of respondents had one, which is identical to our 2021/22 survey results. SIM and mobile handset plans made up 42% of responses.

No-contract plans have stabilised in popularity. In our 2023 survey, 69% of people were off-contract, using prepaid, post-paid or pay-as-you-go plans. The number of people locked into a contract has dropped from 57% in 2019 to 30%.

Scoring the satisfaction rating

Satisfaction scores are calculated out of 100 by asking respondents to rate their service provider on various attributes and overall satisfaction on a seven-point scale ranging from terrible to excellent. The results are tested for statistical significance to verify scores that are statistically higher or lower than the average.

Why we've partnered with WhistleOut

We've partnered with search engine WhistleOut to help you find and buy the right plan for you.  While we make money if you buy through WhistleOut, this doesn't influence our rankings. 100% of the money we make goes straight back into our nonprofit mission.

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It’s up to you to figure out when your child is ready for a phone. After that, it’s a matter of picking a suitable device, which may come down to a bit of parent/child negotiation.

You can, for example, keep things as basic as possible, with a simple model used for occasional/emergency calls and texts. Or maybe they’re ready for something a bit more mid-range, with web access, apps and a camera (plus social media apps for kids who are over 16 – more on this later). In any case, children and teenagers don’t need the latest, greatest or most expensive models (but points for trying, kids).

We’ve put together some advice from ����Vlog tech experts and experienced parents to help you decide. And for ����Vlog members, our  provides his pick of the best bang-for-your-buck phones for young users.

On this page:

• Should I buy an Android or iPhone for my child?
• Does my child need a 5G phone?
• Buying your child’s first phone
• Choosing a smart watch instead
• Saving money with second-hand, hand-me-down or refurbished phones
• Do I need to insure my child’s phone?
• Best mobile phones for children and teens

Should I buy an Android or iPhone for my child?

As far as functionality and performance goes, it’s dealer’s choice. The most popular apps, games, and streaming services are available across both operating systems.

So what’s the main difference? Price. The cheapest Android phones are hundreds of dollars less than anything Apple has to offer. This may give Android an edge when you consider the likelihood of phones being lost, damaged or stolen (the risk of one of these things happening is not low!).

That said, there are a handful of reasons that an Apple phone might be worth the added expense.

• There aren’t as many dodgy junk apps on Apple’s App Store. That’s not to say the App Store is completely safe, but it’s much harder to get an app approved by Apple for release by Apple, compared to the Google Play Store.
• Apple devices work very well with one another. If you already own other Apple devices, such as an iPad or Apple Watch, it may be worth buying a phone for your child that works in the same ecosystem. This also means that setting up family accounts and some parental controls will be a fairly seamless process.
• Your child may find an iPhone easier to use if they are already familiar with using iPhones or iPads.

Does my child need a 5G phone?

Not necessarily, but almost all smartphones released in the last two years can connect to 5G. You’d have to go out of your way to find one that doesn’t.

But connectivity may be an issue if you’re looking at a second-hand, refurbished or a hand-me-down smartphone that uses 3G or 4G.

3G no longer supported, and some 4G phones affected

Australia doesn’t have a 3G network anymore. This means 3G-only phones can no longer make or receive calls or SMS messages, or use the internet.

Smartphones released in the early days of 4G (mid-2014 to late 2015) are also affected. Despite being technically 4G-capable mobiles, these phones default to 3G for emergency calls such as 000.

If you’re looking at an affordable older or second-hand smartphone, make sure it can connect to 4G or 5G and double-check the release date. This information should be available for most older devices at .

Buying your child’s first phone

Phones are a step towards independence, and you’ll most likely find that a child’s needs will change over time. For younger users, a phone is a way to contact family or close friends when they’re outside the home – e.g. when they need a lift home from school because football training was cancelled.

In this case, you may want to consider an old-school flip phone with talk and text, which can’t connect to the internet. A few manufacturers are keeping these classics alive for a relatively low price – around $100. They’re often marketed as “phones for seniors”.

Keep in mind that you can get simple phones and flip phones that do connect to the internet. Double check the specifications before buying, if they mention 4G/5G or Wi-Fi anywhere, they can go online and may not suit your needs.

When your child is a little older and (hopefully) a bit more mature, they may be ready for a smartphone with Wi-Fi and 4G/5G connectivity. They’ll probably want to install social media and instant messaging apps to chat with their friends, video streaming services (Netflix, YouTube and so on) and maybe some games.

The RRP for a new, entry-level smartphone is around $300 while mid-range models cost up to $1000 or so. Now, kids can be very persuasive but you really don’t need to spend any more than that on a phone for your youngster – and even $1000 is extremely generous.

Simple phones (aka phones for seniors)

Despite the somewhat condescending name, simple phones (also known as phones for seniors) can be a good option for younger users. They strip things right back to an easy-to-navigate screen that only displays a handful of apps and limited phone settings.

Not only are they far less complicated than a typical smartphone interface, models that connect to the internet can be a gentle way to restrict your kids to a specific selection of apps without feeling like they’re being locked down. That way, they can avoid programs with content that isn’t age appropriate.

����Vlog tech expert Denis Gallagher says that simple phones with internet connectivity can be a good compromise between a basic offline phone and a fully fledged smartphone. 

“The single screen controls present a series of menu buttons for phone calls, texting and email with additional buttons for popular apps such as WhatsApp. Their cameras aren’t great by current smartphone standards but good enough for quick snaps and sharing memories.”

If you’d rather repurpose an old smartphone you have at home, there are apps that you can download onto Android smartphones to create a simple menu system and allow a level of control over the phone user’s online access. These are called ‘custom launchers’ and set up does take a little technical know-how.

Choosing a smart watch instead

Denis says that a smart watch could be another option to consider – they’re relatively cheap (depending on the brand you choose) and offer similar functionality to non-smartphones, allowing users to call, text and play a few games.

“Many kids love the Dick Tracy-style smartwatches that are now available for under $200; they come with a nanoSIM or embedded SIM that turns the small device into a mobile phone,” says Denis. “There are levels of parental control you can use to ensure the user can’t be contacted by people not in the contacts list before handing over the device.”

Mobile phones are now effectively banned, or their use restricted, in most schools across Australia. The specific rules vary from state to state, but you might need to check with your school to find out if that includes smart watches.

“Be sure you’re familiar with your school’s policy on mobile devices, because a watch that has to be taken off throughout the day can easily be lost or stolen.”

If you have an iPhone and an Apple Watch, Apple has software called Family Setup that allows parents and guardians to register a second watch from their existing iPhone (even if the child does not have their own smartphone). The child can then call home, share their location or send messages from their wrists, but will not have access to the entire web.

Saving money with second-hand, hand-me-down or refurbished phones

There are plenty of excellent second-hand and refurbished phones out there that will more than meet your kid’s needs. You may even have a slightly older phone kicking around the house that only needs a few software updates.

Not only is this cheaper, the (likely) inevitable pain of dealing with a broken or misplaced smartphone is easier to bear if the phone is pre-owned. But you need to shop smart if you’re buying second-hand.

As well as overall condition, you need to check the networking options and battery life. As mentioned above, don’t buy a 3G-only or 4G phone released before 2016 as these can’t be depended to work on modern mobile networks.

Also be aware that used phones will likely have a shorter battery life than those that are fresh out of the box. This is because batteries slowly degrade over time. Refurbished models from reputable dealers – like Apple or Reebelo – are generally a safe bet.

If you’re buying from a friend or at a second-hand store, ask if you can check the battery health in the phone’s settings. If the staff say no, it’s best to err on the side of caution and shop elsewhere.

As a general rule, don’t buy a used, non-refurbished phone that’s more than a few years old. The battery is probably toast and it’s not worth the hassle (and cost) of getting it replaced just to save a few extra bucks.

Other features to look for in your child’s first phone

Below are some general tips and tricks, as well as useful accessories, you may need to think about while shopping around and setting things up.

Online access and parental controls

It’s worth setting up a few parental controls and restrictions, especially if this is your child’s first phone. You can monitor their use of the device, limit who can communicate with your child, and manage the apps they have access to – especially apps that let them communicate with others and make online purchases.

The gives you some information on how to do this on mobile and smartphone devices.

“You can try setting up the phone so that all apps and purchases require parental approval, with screen time and parental restrictions set,” suggests Denis. “You should also have ongoing chats with your child about privacy, security, consent when filming and so on.”

The new rules for social media apps require that age-restricted social media platforms take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account, but it’s worth making sure yourself that your child does not have access to any apps that they shouldn’t.

Apple has “Assistive Access” settings, which let you strip down the functionality of the phone to more focused features and a simplified user interface. Designed for people with cognitive disabilities, it could also be suitable for an older or younger person’s phone.

Android devices have similar settings, but the large range of manufacturers means the options are slightly different depending on the brand. If you own or can borrow a friend’s Android phone, search “parental controls” in the settings to review your options. Otherwise, ask a salesperson for a demonstration or check the manufacturer’s website.

Most popular apps have parental controls of their own too, which can be individually adjusted. For example, Disney+ lets you set up age-restrictions to filter out movies and shows that aren’t appropriate for viewers under 18.

GPS tracking features

All but very basic, offline phones come with GPS. This is typically used for navigation but you can also link most phones to a parent account to track the activities of the user, including where they’re going or where they’ve been.

Location tracking can be used to locate a phone if it happens to get lost, which, let’s face it, is not an unlikely scenario. Apple calls this tool ‘Find My Phone’, for example. You can also use it to see where the person carrying the phone is at any given time. The extent to which you decide to do this (if at all) is up to you.

How much storage does the phone need?

A tween or teen’s phone can fill up very quickly with photos, videos and voice messages. For most casual smartphone users, 128GB phone memory is enough, although many people prefer to choose 256GB or more.

Is a case and screen protector worth the cost?

Yes. Always yes.

Choose a case that has good ‘bumpers’ on the corners of the phone and a slightly raised lip to protect the screen (the screen should be a little recessed in the case). A case with a textured or rubbery finish can help with grip, too.

Denis says: “Any silicone case will provide some protection for the daily bumps and drops. Make sure the case has a small ridge sitting proud of the screen – this will protect against scratches when your phone is placed face down.”

But what about screen protectors? If your phone is a hand-me-down and you’re choosing between a case or a protector, Denis says to spend your money on a reasonably priced case under $50 instead of a screen protector. “However,” he adds, “if the phone is new or expensive it’s probably worth investing in a screen protector as well.”

Do I need to insure my child’s phone?

Loss and breakages are to be expected with mobile devices, so insurance is a good idea when you’re handing tech over to kids. But it’s important to make sure you’re not paying more for insurance than the device is worth.

If you sign up to a phone plan, your provider will likely offer you insurance, but check the terms and conditions carefully before you sign up.

If you own the phone outright, you can insure your smartphone by taking out portable contents cover on your home insurance, or buying single item insurance. Most insurers offer portable contents cover as an optional extra; some include it by default. Check the details of your policy.

Smartphone shopping tips from parents

With no shortage of parents around the office, we had plenty of ����Vlog staff on hand to share their experiences of setting up their child’s first smartphone.

• “If you feel you and your child are not quite yet ready for a phone, don’t forget that there are still plenty of Telstra payphones across the country, on street corners and in small towns, that are completely free to use. Teach your child how to use one and make sure they know your number off by heart should they ever need it.”
• “Start off with a cheap handset so there is limited stress around loss or breakages. You can always upgrade later.”
• “Before giving your child a phone, establish a ‘contract’ together that sets out rules and expectations for both you and your child in regards to how the phone will be used and when. You could also consider giving them their first phone on a trial basis.”
• “Put healthy boundaries in place when it comes to the expectations around monitoring and phone use.”
• “Monitor your child’s privacy when using the device – carefully consider permissions and whether apps need to monitor your child’s contact list, location, etc. And help your child set up robust security settings.”

Best mobile phones for children and teens

Our expert Denis Gallagher has put together the following options that should provide a good way to keep your children in touch when needed, without them feeling on the outs with their peers. 

We independently test and review dozens of new phones each year in our onsite labs, and our experts know exactly what to look for to help you find the best product.

Our detailed testing data is available exclusively for ����Vlog members. If you’re not yet a member, join ����Vlog to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews, from fridges and freezers, to toasters and TVs, kettles and cots, and more.

Or log in to unlock this article and find out which phones are our experts’ top picks for kids.

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Every year, Australians spend tens of billions of dollars and days of our time on apps. These tools have become the go-to solution for everything from investing and learning, to dating and entertainment.

But with our spending on these digital platforms and services increasingly funneled towards just a few big companies, it’s unclear they’re actually offering us good value.

Australia’s consumer regulator, the ACCC, recently wrapped up a five-year inquiry into Australians’ experiences with accessing and using digital platforms.

“����Vlog was keen to contribute a consumer perspective on these issues by producing original national research,” says senior campaigns and policy advisor Rafi Alam.

“We often hear consumer complaints about app stores, such as difficulties getting refunds or even contacting someone for support,” he adds.

“Australians spend a lot of time and money on apps, and just like with any other retailer, they expect fair treatment when things go wrong.”

Survey reveals key grievances

To get a sense of consumer sentiment, ����Vlog surveyed over 1000 Australians between February and March this year, asking about their use of smartphones and the apps on them.

In particular, we probed for any issues they’d encountered with these services and their experiences of trying to get a refund if they’d had an app purchase go wrong.

What was immediately clear was that Australians have chosen their sides when it comes to Apple vs Android.

Forty-eight percent said they only use Apple’s iOS operating system, while 47% indicated they’ve chosen Android. Only 3% of respondents use both.

Over one third (39%) of all those we surveyed said they had experienced a problem with an app on their phone in the preceding 12 months.

The most common gripes all involved consumers being charged for apps they didn’t want or no longer needed.

Of those who reported an issue, one in three had accidentally bought or subscribed to an app they hadn’t intended to.

Another 32% had struggled to unsubscribe from an app requiring regular payments and 28% had been charged for a subscription to an app even though they had cancelled it before the end of a free trial period.

Kids are causing problems

If you’ve got a child who has bought an app, signed up to a costly subscription or made an expensive purchase in a game while using your device, you’re not alone.

According to our survey, parents and guardians with young children were more likely than other cohorts to have faced some sort of app issue in the last year.

Unsurprisingly, there was a greater chance they had dealt with children making unwanted purchases: 21% of those looking after children younger than 12 reported encountering this issue in the year to March.

For many parents, trying to get a refund on these surprise expenses is another cause for headaches.

“Parents and guardians can have trouble with preventing unauthorised purchases from their children, but they also often have trouble following up these purchases with any kind of redress from the app stores,” says Alam.

What to do if you have a problem

So what should you do if your child has bought an app they shouldn’t have, or you find yourself trapped in a subscription to an app you can’t seem to cancel?

“Unfortunately there’s little clarity in the Australian Consumer Law about software-based goods, including apps, and it’s not much clearer in Apple and Google’s terms and conditions,” says Alam.

It’s no surprise, then, that 19% of respondents to our survey considered getting a refund for an app issue, but couldn’t be bothered or didn’t know how.

If your child has paid for an app or made an in-app purchase that you’d rather they hadn’t, contact the app store where they bought it or the company or developer responsible for the app and report an unauthorised charge.

And if you find yourself stuck in a subscription trap? Again, it’s worth trying to raise the issue with the digital store where you originally got the app from.

“Try to access customer support from the app marketplace you signed up to, and if that doesn’t work, it may be worthwhile filing a complaint to your state consumer affairs or fair trading regulator,” says Alam.

How platforms could do better

Alam says the bad news for consumers seeking a refund is that there “doesn’t seem to be a consistent approach” in terms of how app stores and developers respond to these requests.

Some aggrieved consumers were able to secure a remedy, but others were left out of pocket.

“We heard from one consumer who tried to get a refund from an app developer after cancelling a subscription to an app during its free trial period. However, they were still charged and received no response from the developer,” says Alam.

Alam says Australia needs to put in place clearer obligations for app developers and marketplaces that dictate where and when consumers deserve remedies and what these should be.

He says we also need an independent complaint-resolution scheme or ombudsman to deal with Australians’ app issues.

“Time and time again we see that digital platforms evade accountability,” Alam says.

“A digital ombuds scheme could connect consumers to the right regulator, take up their case with the digital platforms including app marketplaces, report on systemic issues they’re finding in the market and refer marketplaces to regulators if they discover they’ve breached the law.”

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On this page:

• What are SIM swap and phone porting scams?
• Porting theft 'like a physical attack'
• How scammers are stealing numbers
• Authorities cracking down but cases on the rise
• How to avoid SIM swap and phone porting scams

Imagine you’ve just found out you’re being scammed. 

Someone is moving money out of your bank account and you’ve lost access to your email and other vital online services.

You pick up your phone, but realise you’ve suddenly lost signal and, with it, any easy way of quickly shutting down the pilfering happening right in front of you.

This is what it’s like to encounter a SIM swap or phone porting scam and find yourself unnervingly disconnected in your hour of need.

Older scam finding new life

SIM swap and phone porting scams have been around for several years.

They’ve been the target of crackdowns by the federal police and Australia’s communications regulator, which in the last few years has introduced requirements for telcos to make them harder to carry out.

But cracks have emerged in the system designed to protect consumers from these fraudulent operations and one support group says it’s seeing more and more devastated victims come forward.

What are SIM swap and phone porting scams?

SIM swap and phone porting scams are abuses of legitimate processes that telcos have in place to support customers.

A SIM swap is a function that allows someone to have their existing SIM card cancelled and their number moved to another SIM card. Phone porting, meanwhile, is when you contact a new telco to have your phone number moved to it from your existing provider.

Both processes can result in calls and messages to your number being diverted to a new device.

SIM swap and phone porting scams occur when one of these processes happens without you having requested it. Instead, it’s been initiated by someone impersonating you in order to divert your texts and calls to a device they control.

In some cases, victims are completely unaware this has gone on until they suddenly lose cellular service.

“It comes out of the blue,” says Kathy Sundstrom, national manager for outreach and engagement at IDCare, a cyber support service helping scam victims.

“The first thing you want to do when something has gone wrong is phone someone, but you can’t. It’s incredibly disempowering when you’re not able to have any kind of phone contact.”

Mobile numbers the modern key to identity theft

Once they’ve taken over a mobile number, scammers will be able to receive the text messages organisations often send to authenticate and confirm sensitive changes to personal details and accounts.

This can deliver criminals the ability to change passwords and take control of emails, bank accounts and other vital services, providing them ample opportunity for theft.

“It sets off a chain of events,” says David Hofierka, senior policy officer at the Consumer Action Law Centre, another organisation supporting victims of SIM swap and phone porting scams.

“The perpetrator changes [the victim’s] email, takes out loans in their name and steals money from their accounts. The customer is helpless and can get really traumatised.”

Advocates say this takeover of an individual’s identity via their phone is often compounded by the fact many of us now rely completely on mobiles to make calls and get help.

A mobile phone was the only way 63% of Australians could make a call at home in 2022, according to research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – the same study found only 34% of us still have a landline as a backup.

Advocates say this results in stories of victims having to go to their neighbours for help after their number was stolen while they were at home alone.

Porting theft ‘like a physical attack’

Sydney resident TJ* witnessed the effects of a phone porting scam first-hand when his wife’s mobile number was stolen and moved to a new carrier.

They first realised something was wrong when TJ received a notification claiming $3000 had been moved out of one of their joint accounts.

At the same time, his wife’s phone wasn’t able to connect to its usual service provider.

“When she was calling them the following morning, she was told that her number had been ported to another carrier,” he explains.

“[It] was only the beginning of a whole process, a web of financial scams that affected us,” he recalls.

“Not only did we have that unauthorised $3000 transfer, we found out that simultaneously the scammers had opened credit accounts [and that] my wife’s Service NSW, ATO [Australian Tax Office] and Google accounts had been taken over.”

TJ says they eventually got the ported number shut down and he and his wife have been able to clear from their name the approximately $15,000 worth of loans, tax refunds and credit lines the scammers obtained.

But they continue to come across more instances where the criminals have sought to impersonate them.

TJ says this long term effort to wrench back control of their finances and accounts has taken a particular toll on his wife.

“It’s like a physical attack, it’s brutal,” he explains.

How scammers are stealing numbers

Because it requires passing themselves off as someone else, scammers need a significant amount of personal information to successfully initiate a SIM swap or port.

These personal details can be collected via phishing – a type of information theft increasingly common at this time of year.

Banks whose customers have been impacted by SIM swap and phone porting scams say victims may initially receive emails or text messages claiming to be from the ATO.

These sort of impersonation schemes are commonly rolled out when we’re going from one financial year into another, a time when people are filing tax returns and expecting to hear from the tax office.

Tax time phishing scams often encourage victims to provide information such as their full name, mobile number and address in order to secure refunds or protect their account – details that can be used to attempt a fraudulent SIM swap or phone port.

In addition to this information, scammers can also weaponise personal details exposed following data breaches or hacks of customer files at large companies.

Putting on an act

Once they have enough of your information, scammers will then contact your telco pretending to be you and try to convince them to transfer your number to a device they control.

They may also spin a story about a lost phone, being in trouble and needing a new device to put pressure on staff to transfer the number.

If a telco sends messages to the holder of the number to authenticate the request, the criminal party may also contact that person and pose as the service provider or another organisation in order to obtain any authentication codes.

Authorities cracking down but cases on the rise

SIM swap and phone porting scams pose enough of a threat that telcos have recently been directed to put in place processes to reduce the chance of unknowingly approving fraudulent requests.

Between 2020 and 2022, ACMA (the telco regulator) introduced rules requiring service providers to use multi-factor authentication to confirm that the person controlling the phone number is actually the one making the request to transfer it.

ACMA says these regulations led to a “significant decrease” in SIM swap and phone porting fraud, but the system hasn’t always been as effective as hoped.

For example, last year the regulator fined Telstra over $1.5 million for not properly authenticating customer identities during 168,000 “high-risk interactions”, including SIM swaps.

Furthermore, IDCare says while ACMA’s rules initially had a positive impact, the numbers of mobile fraud victims reaching out to it for help have once again started increasing.

The number of people contacting the organisation each month following an unauthorised SIM swap or phone port climbed from an average of 34 over 2023, to 89 in the 12 months to March this year – an increase of over 160%.

Recent police action also shows the continued popularity of the phone porting method – in March this year, the federal police charged a Melbourne man for allegedly trying to port 86 different mobile numbers.

What’s being done?

IDCare says a recent spate of data breaches affecting major companies could be delivering scammers more information on Australian consumers, making it easier to perform unauthorised SIM swaps and ports.

An ACMA spokesperson tells ����Vlog the regulator is aware of data indicating a rise in reports of mobile fraud and is currently in the process of working out what’s behind the trend.

It says that, in the meantime, it will continue to enforce the existing regulations on telcos requiring them to carefully authenticate requests for SIM swaps and phone ports.

Telcos are reluctant to share detailed information about how they handle SIM swap and porting requests, but Telstra and Optus tell ����Vlog they have multi-factor authentication processes in place.

On their respective websites, both telcos say these processes can include putting information into their respective apps or completing an in-store ID check.

Telstra notes that while its procedures are “strict and robust”, criminals could potentially bypass them if a victim’s identity has been thoroughly compromised.

How to avoid SIM swap and phone porting scams

1. Avoid phishing attempts: Scammers need lots of information on you to steal your phone number. Avoid sharing sensitive personal and financial details on suspicious websites or in response to dubious phone calls or messages.

1. Beware of changes to your phone service: Look out for messages or emails suggesting you’re trying to leave your telco or have requested a new SIM. Contact your provider using details you’ve found yourself to stop your number being transferred.

1. Be sceptical of calls asking for codes: Watch out if you start receiving unexpected authentication messages from your telco and hang up on anyone calling to ask for these codes.

1. Act quickly if you lose connection: If your phone starts unexpectedly displaying “SOS only” and you lose service, check your online accounts for any sign of compromise. Contact your bank and telco using details you’ve found yourself and tell them you’re the target of fraud. Contact for further assistance.

*Pseudonym.

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