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Low- & No-Cost 000-Safe Replacement Phones for Disadvantaged Customers @ Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, Internode, Lebara, Kogan, felix

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Low- & No-Cost 000-Safe Replacement Phones for Disadvantaged Customers @ Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, Internode, Lebara, Kogan, felixAffiliate
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Lsoniclicious on 18/12/2025 - 21:34 vodafone.com.au (706 clicks)
Last edited 19/12/2025 - 10:28 by 1 other user
This post contains affiliate links. OzBargain might earn commissions when you click through and make purchases. Please see this page for more information.

Vodafone/TPG have confirmed on their website that low-cost or no-cost replacement mobile phones are available for customers whose devices cannot reliably call 000.

This relates to certain older devices (including Samsung models) identified as not meeting emergency-call requirements following network changes.

According to Vodafone:

• Replacement options may include no-cost devices for eligible customers
• Assistance is available for financial hardship, vulnerable or disadvantaged customers
• Support is available regardless of provider (Vodafone, TPG, Lebara, Kogan, Felix)

Important:
• This is not guaranteed for everyone
• Eligibility depends on device and circumstances
• Customers must visit a Vodafone retail store (unsure if dealers would offer a free or low-cost replacement) or contact support to confirm

If you or a family member received an SMS about emergency-call compatibility, or are using an older phone, it may be worth checking.

Source: Vodafone official support page (linked above).

This post is informational, not a promotional offer.
It may be helpful for elderly customers, families with older relatives, people using older phones, or households with unused phones kept in drawers.

Public reporting and carrier disclosures indicate that:
• ~24,000 devices require urgent software updates to reliably connect to 000, and
• ~6,000 devices will never be capable of reliably calling 000 and may require replacement.

If you or someone you care for has received an SMS about emergency-call compatibility, or is using an older handset (particularly certain Samsung models), it may be worth checking eligibility and available options directly at your local Vodafone store.

Head to your nearest Vodafone store regardless of your provider, or contact the teams below.

Vodafone 1300 650 410
TPG 13 14 23
iiNet 13 22 58
felix via the felix app
Internode 13 66 33
Lebara 1300 126 122
Kogan 1300 056 426

Vodafone Referrals

Referral: random (29)

Referrer & referee receive $25-$50 credit after referee's 3rd monthly bill.

Mobile Mobile Phone

Related Stores

Vodafone
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Felix Mobile
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iiNet
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Internode
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Comments

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  • soniclicious on 18/12/2025 - 21:35

    If you or someone in your family has an older phone and received an SMS about emergency calls, it’s worth checking this. Especially for elderly relatives or backup phones sitting in drawers.

    • 2
  • ymottomttdl on 18/12/2025 - 21:51

    I had to stop using vodafail ages ago because they don't like my phone, same with floptus, now I'm stuck on hellstra

    • 6
    • SlowCarSlow on 18/12/2025 - 22:08

      are there any you do like?

      • 2
  • SBOB on 18/12/2025 - 21:56

    available for customers whose devices cannot reliably call 000.

    So….for Optus customers?

    • 9
    • Xizor on 18/12/2025 - 22:02

      Bahahahahaha. Gold response.

      • 0
    • soniclicious on 18/12/2025 - 22:10

      It doesn't say no haha, give it a go. TPG/Vodafone's website says it is not limited to their customers only - regardless of your provider haha:

      "We can help you with alternative low-cost or no-cost mobile phones that can call emergency services. Give us a call or head to your nearest Vodafone store, regardless of your provider with TPG Telecom. If you’re experiencing financial hardship, or you’re vulnerable or disadvantaged, additional options and assistance are also available by calling us or heading to your nearest Vodafone store."

      • 0
  • Shifter0183 on 18/12/2025 - 21:58

    It seems that Kogan (and implicitly Vodafone) is implementing a highly restricted whitelist (e.g. POCO/Xiaomi phones are not even listed as an "approved device"). Phones which work with both Optus and Telstra according to both of their device compatibility checkers may be blocked by Vodafone.

    This whole 3G shutdown/VoTLE Emergency Call Support mandate is such a debacle, which would have been better had the industry be forced to implement a telco neutral lookup tool to check if a phone is supported so people don't end up accidentally buying expensive bricks. Then again, who check a device's TAC number before buying a phone? And how many people even know what the TAC number is? This whole thing is a farce to generate more e-waste.

    • 7
    • Xizor on 18/12/2025 - 22:10

      Problem is in practice its not even that simple. There have been issues with inaccuracies with TAC lists already used by the telcos (as crazy as that seems). And to really muddy the waters there have been multiple issues with software updates (nothing to do with the telcos) causing issues with VoLTE EC not work, issues with particular frequencies etc. Just last week apple had to release an urgent software update. There have been several occurences like this. The device manufacturers have have been caught off guard as much as anyone.

      It's an unfortunate reality that there is always a segment of people that just dont really know any better and leave themselves vulnerable.

      • 5
    • Duff5000 on 18/12/2025 - 23:14

      Interestingly Voda works for my daughters redmi note 9 pro but it is blocked on optus.

      • 0
    • nguyenlucky on 09/01/2026 - 16:08

      That list is taken from Vodafone page and is outdated af, especially for non Google, Apple and SS phones. You need to ask a Vodafone store directly, these staff have more updated spreadsheets.

      It sucks that Voda doesn't have a public checker like Optus and Telstra.

      • 0
      • Shifter0183 on 09/01/2026 - 22:20

        I sent a complaint over to the Shadow Communications Minister highlighting this exact issue as well as some other issues as well. Funnily enough, I managed to call 000 and report a grass fire from my soon to be blocked Poco M7 this afternoon, which I'm going to let her know of, after making another call to Kogan, and recording them admitting there is no unblocking of mobile phones even with physical evidence that it works (they have the 000 call logs after all, and the phone numbers from which the calls were made from and the IMEIs associated with the phone number at the time of the calls). I want them to be "Hoisted By His Own Petard". I'm also going to contact the Senate select committee members and pester them since I am pissed off and spiteful as hell.

        I did score a new Samsung Galaxy A17 a few days back, but I still have to buy a replacement dual physical sim phone anyways (I sent the replacement to my sister). If I am going to be screwed over by their shit, I might as well be somewhat compensated for it.

        • 0
    • ritzaus on 18/12/2025 - 22:09

      I think the point is that there are plenty of 5g capable devices that aren't on their approved list.

      • 7
      • PainToad on 19/12/2025 - 06:01

        Because you all felt the need to respond with the same point, I’ll just respond once to the first comment.

        They need to ensure that only devices that don’t fall over to the 3G during 000 calls are on their network. There’s no other way of doing this besides having a whitelist.

        Again people would have been warned about this.

        • -7
    • Ave Maria on 18/12/2025 - 22:30

      That is a very extreme opinion. The 3G shutdown and 000 issue are completely separate events. I gave up my 2G phone for a 3G phone and then replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy A12 dual SIM 4G phone that I was extremely happy with in 2002. I only received 40 days ago a Vodafone SMS that they would block my device even though it is on the approved list and passes available compliance checks. The only issue is that it was not bought directly from Vodafone and it is not on their "approved" IMEI list - in fact it does make 000 calls. Neverthelles, as I had both a LEBARA & and VODAFONE number I did not want to lose, I bought a Mototola Moto G06 from Vodafone that maches my current specs. I made enquiries with Samsung that told me that my device should not be blocked, but when I called Vodafone they insisted it will be blocked and offered me no other option than to buy a new phone out of pocket. An email to TPG/Vodafone received no reply and after I made a complaint with TIO, Vodafone finally called me last week and offered me a free cheap old style keypad phone (sells for about $25 online). When I went to a Vodafone shop to pick one up they were too embarrased to give me that so they offered me a Vodafone V Pro 3 (that sells for $64 online) for free. It is not a bad phone but now I need a family member in need of a new simple smartphone to give it to them as Xmas present. My original phone was unlocked and cost over $500. Am I happy with the outcome, not really but at least I got something out of Vodafone. Vodafone claimed they were calling every affected customer and offering them a free phone (lies lies and more lies).

      • 6
      • Koalabeer on 24/12/2025 - 18:57

        Friend got Samsung A17 free , they got text rang was offered it so took it …nice Xmas present

        • 2
    • zt7891 on 19/12/2025 - 01:16

      You are missing the point. Many people are using phones that are 4G and even 5G capable that have been working fine for years and are listed as being compatible by the network providers themselves in the past but are now suddenly being flagged as incompatible and are now being blocked since November/December this year. This isn't the customers fault at all.

      Each network provider are able to change the list of supported and unsupported phones at any time without notice and some of these phones are being blacklisted within the last few months only. So that isn't plenty of notice at all.

      And if you read the various post on OzBargain, Reddit and Whirlpool, phones are being blocked even though they are listed as being supported in the official Samsung notice and even Vodafone notice as well (and even the notice themselves have changed a few times over the last few weeks). So lots of inconsistencies with the official information too.

      You should look at the list of officially supported and compatible phones from Vodafone. Many people have phones that are in that list and are still getting notices from Vodafone that the their phone will be blocked in the next 30 days, myself included, even though the phone is already up to date in terms of software.

      • 3
  • Nom on 18/12/2025 - 22:15

    If you take a look at the actual list of impacted devices in the link, then there's a gazillion Samsung phones and every single one simply needs a software update.
    So surely you just click "Install Now" in the Software Update notification, and problem solved ?

    • 1
    • zt7891 on 19/12/2025 - 00:59

      Well that is the problem here. I have an affected Samsung phone and am already on the latest software update (and have been running the latest update for years as support has ended years ago) but still got the message from Vodafone that the phone is going to blocked in the next 30 days. Even now, it says the latest update is already installed. It is also an Australian model too.

      And if you look at the Whirlpool forums, many other people are having the same issues across various Samsung phones, so even being on the latest update is still not enough, phones are still getting blocked even though the phone is listed as being compatible even with the latest updates installed.

      • 1
  • c64 on 18/12/2025 - 22:16

    what's stupid is there is no way to test if you can make an emergency call, other than dialing 000

    • 9
    • schquid on 19/12/2025 - 00:47

      Every part of this debacle is so far beyond stupid. A rushed technology deplatforming with little to no effective due process or planning, followed by a few rounds of rushed device sunsetting to "solve" the previous mistakes. Then it was all topped off with a large serve of miscommunication and misidentification of impacted devices, services and the timelines associated with every step.

      It's as though the end-to-end process was handballed to a single sub-sub-sub contractor with a complete spec of "sort this shit out by tomorrow morning, k?" while the ACMA and telcos all went out for a big pissup and forgot all about it.

      Heads should roll top to bottom for this, they're putting lives at risk because of their collective incompetence. All the while they're worried about not keeping up with the AI hypetrain instead, and figuring out how they can shoehorn that into this circus of a system rather than just making it work at the most basic level first.

      • 6
  • soniclicious on 18/12/2025 - 22:27

    Public correspondence and via the Senate said over 6,000 devices cannot be updated at all and need to be replaced.

    • 0
  • dufflover on 18/12/2025 - 22:39

    I doubt this will be a genuine deal, but will be interested to see any concrete examples.
    Samsung offered me a 50% voucher for a replacement … except only off the RRP on their premium lines 🙄

    Thankfully I manually flashed my phone and stopped getting the automatic alerts (Kogan) after a couple of days, but given the model is supposedly blocked by another carrier (according to https://isthisphoneblocked.net.au/) then I'm still going to be ready for suddenly losing service through this artificial blocking.

    Biggest debacle ever, and sadly like many mobile phone discussions plenty of apologists for the big companies acting in various ways.

    • 3
    • ozilicious on 18/12/2025 - 23:02

      So ultimately flashing didn't help?

      • 3
      • dufflover on 19/12/2025 - 00:04

        So far it has worked. The automated message at the start of every call stopped.

        However in lots of random Googling, Reddit discussions, etc. I've read about people who got suddenly cut off anyway, or the carriers' lists got updated, etc.
        So my confidence is not high that I'm truly in the clear as they tell me just because I stopped receiving the warnings.

        • 0
        • Ave Maria on 19/12/2025 - 02:52

          Telcos are blockind devices based on the IMEI associated with the SIM slot. That is hardwired and cannot be changed. Flashing will not fix anyting, updates will not fix anything (most devices are up to date anyway). I made the mistake of trying to fix the issue over a month ago, assuming that a firmware update is what is required, by flashing the Vodafone AU firmware onto my Samsung Galaxy A12. Nothing changed. That causes a number of other issues as suddenfly google wallet became uncertified (kicked most of my cards out). I then did a full factory reset that created even more problems. In the end I flashed back the original firmware, my device was again goggle play certified, I had to register all of my apps from scratch, add cards back to wallet (made calls to several banks to clear old tokens from their system). I could not even log remotely to work as the MS Authenticator was confused by the factory reset (as the device now appears as a new different device). So much time lost & stress caused by the advice given by Samsung that all is required is a software update (that never came) and trying to use a Vodafone firmware that Vodafone would not offer to update themselves. In the end I bought a new phone and the old one is now a very expensive (based on the original unlocked device purchase price) app only brick, dual SIM (with no SIMS) and NFC enable if I wanted to use the wallet on it (except that the Coles card cannot be added back as Coles has no idea how to clean up the old device (before the reset) from their systems. So picked up a few new skills, factory reset, firmware flashing, device backup & restore, porting everything from one phone to another & lots of time troublleshooting on the phone. I would rather have kept using my old phone that really has no issues calling 000 (but is blacklisted by vodafone anyway ONLY because I did not buy it from them) and buy a new phone when the old one lo longer worked NOT because I was forced to do so by a STUPID MINISTER (that her best skill is spending tax payers money for family trips) & incompetent TELCOS trying to comply by brute force to an ill concieved legislation that would likely cause more deaths than lives saved. You would likely have a better chance of winning the lottery than needing to make a 000 call and not be able to do so.

          • 1
          • Duff5000 on 19/12/2025 - 09:33

            @Ave Maria: I thought the A12 didnt have NFC. Or at least australian versions didnt.

            Was your a grey import then? Thats a fairly important detail. Australian versions of phones legally had to support the emergency volte calls since before the a12 came out.

            • 0
            • ozilicious on 19/12/2025 - 14:43

              @Duff5000: Thanks for replying @Duff5000 and @Ave Maria

              I started flashing my Galaxy S7 years ago when official support stopped.

              It was running Android 14 with no issues when I got the block notice email in October/November and has since been blocked.

              • 1
            • Ave Maria on 19/12/2025 - 15:40

              @Duff5000: No I purchased it and used it while I was overseas in Europe. I brought it in Australia and used it here with no issues since 2023. It has global firmware that makes it usabe worlwide and has received all available updates up to October 2024 when Samsung stopped supporting it. It was up to date. The model has dual SIM support (perfect for me) as well as NFC. I still use it at home with all my apps - I can no longer use it as phone in Australia (I need to stop laughing about that - as I never realy bought a phone to make 000 calls and the whole justification of the blocking action is borderline ridiculous - if I want to keep using a phone that does not make 000 (even though mine actually can) after being warned about it that is my business and not the governments decision - this is now a child minding state of affairs) - you should be able to declare that you have an alternative device for making 000 (like a dump phone) - why is it now almost a requirement to carry a mobile phone with you everywhere you go so you can call 000 (I don't) - and that shoud be it. I will take it with me and use it overseas when I travel as it is unlocked & I can get I prepaid SIM abroad from any local service provider.

              What will Australia legislate next? You will be fined if you walk or drive away from your house without carrying with you a mobile device so you can make 000 calls ? How dare you walk around with no mobile device so we can track all of your movements?

              • 0
            • Ave Maria on 19/12/2025 - 15:55

              @Duff5000: It does support volte and passess all requirements. There was no issue until the Vodafone/Samsung issue came to surface. The dual SIM IMEIs are not on the Vodafone list - Vodafone cannot confirm whether my phone can make 000 calls - so their hard decision (despite all advice received from Samsung to the contrary) is to block the device - end of story.

              This establishes a dangerous precedence for other services to be blocked unlesss forced to buy a new device. We are already forced to do so with MS Products, driven by OS updates. I have no problem replacing a device that has aged to the point it needs replacing but forcing me to brick a 2-3 year old fully functional phone is not on.

              Imagine the backlash if Australian government decided that we should all replace our cars with EV models with 30 days notice (or even longer notice)?

              My car is a Hyundai Tucson 2008 model, has 75K Kms on it and runs & looks like new (always garaged & serviced annually) - I am not buying an EV car or a new car until I actually need a new one -:)

              • 0
  • Shifter0183 on 19/12/2025 - 10:07

    On a slightly different note, I called Kogan this morning and confirmed they will not even entertain unblocking your device even if you can prove your device is supported by the other network providers, and by the manufacturer. The only solution for a working device is to port out of that terrible company, which was actually what the call taker explicitly said. I think I'll take her up on her advice and leave them for good, not just for my own numbers but for my parents as well. 6 months of wasted credit and an expensive brick for something that should have been supported to begin with.

    • 1
    • soniclicious on 19/12/2025 - 15:34

      Perhaps you can go to the TIO and get a pro-rata refund for the remaining 6 months, given the circumstances. Plenty have done that before for prepaid 365 day packs.

      • 2
      • Shifter0183 on 19/12/2025 - 17:26

        I might consider it once I go through their internal complaints process. I have to call them again anyways as I am going to record it and pass it along with my general VoTLE Emergency Call Support complaint to the shadow communication minister's office showing how much of a cluster this whole mess has been (I know it probably won't do much but why not). It's a good thing my parent's plans expire in early January, meaning I'm porting them out the moment it is up.

        • 1
        • soniclicious on 26/12/2025 - 18:32

          Yes, I have found their internal complaints process to be poor. Try live chat once, if nothing then TIO it. The best part is they will give you a refund via EFT (bank transfer) as opposed to an internal credit with live chat.

          • 1
  • gto21 on 26/12/2025 - 10:51

    Thanks, OP! I got a Samsung A17 4G. With only 13 positive votes, it's probably one of the most underrated post on OzBargain.

    • 1
    • soniclicious on 26/12/2025 - 18:32

      You're welcome, that's a great phone and deal! Feel free to share this post around :)

      • 0
  • holdencars11 on 31/12/2025 - 19:08

    I have a Xiaomi Poco C65 model 2310FPVA4G, purchaced in 2024. It was working without issue on Telstra. I switch to Labara. The phone worked for a few days, but then, it stopped working on mobile networks, only with Wi-Fi calling. Lebara says now that it is 'unsupported'. Its not acceptable that a phone this new doesn't work on all Australian networks. I won't be spending money to upgrade, and I won't be switching back to Telstra.

    Who is 'eligible' for a phone compatible with their network, and what specific criteria do you have to fulfil?

    • 0
    • soniclicious on 01/01/2026 - 14:01

      It would seem to be a TPG Telecom customer (across any of their sub brands - Vodafone, TPG, Lebara, Kogan, iiNet, Internode, Felix). Given the phone is unsupported, I would believe you are eligible. Take it into a Vodafone store. Or would you consider switching to a Telstra wholesale brand (i.e., Belong etc)?

      • 0
    • alb3rtt on 01/01/2026 - 14:41

      I was given a free Samsung A17 by Kogan as they blocked my Poco F7.

      I am just going to port over to Boost as my phone is supported by Telstra and sell the Samsung to recoup costs.

      I suggest calling Labara or going to a Vodafone store.

      • 1
      • SkyeMG on 28/03/2026 - 09:10

        That's insane that the F7 is blocked.

        What did you do to get your free Samsung replacement?

        I have an F3 that is blocked I think

        • 0
        • alb3rtt on 28/03/2026 - 14:11

          I called Kogan whinging about the entire scenario and outlined that I don't have the money to buy another phone given I just bought a new phone and this phone is now worthless as a result of the brick.

          They then offered the A17 for free but it's absolutely no substitute for the F7.

          Luckily I managed to return my F7 as it was less than 90 days old and sold the A17. I then bought an Aussie sold Oppo Find X8 Pro to replace.

          The most frustrating part about this entire situation was that the F7 could call 000 and I believe was only banned as it wasn't officially sold here.

          • 0
          • SkyeMG on 28/03/2026 - 14:59

            @alb3rtt: Hm that's strange cause I'm for sure thinking that the F7 would be supported cause these like F6 and above should support it since they should just use VoLTE and no 3g fallback etc.

            Was it the A17 5G version?

            What did they ask you to like confirm you were eligible for it? Did you have to send like a photo of ur Poco F7 being blocked or did it also receive the SMS that it would be blocked or something?

            And yeah I know it's definitely no replacement for the F7 but basic lower end mid range since they got 4g ram.

            • 0
            • alb3rtt on 29/03/2026 - 01:01

              @SkyeMG: It was an A17 4G and 4gb ram.

              No proof needed as they had blocked my imei on their end. I got many texts that it would be blocked (sometimes four a day) and ultimately my SIM 1 slot was completely blocked on all networks.

              SIM 2 worked but would've been borrowed time.

              • 0
  • Shifter0183 on 02/01/2026 - 20:23

    I tried going into a Vodafone store today, and they denied my request for a replacement phone, even though I showed them the text messages I was receiving from Kogan and TPG. They were adamant that I needed to sign up to a new plan and I am not doing that.

    • 0
    • soniclicious on 05/01/2026 - 02:34

      Wow that is crazy. I would be lodging this with the TIO (www.tio.com.au). It is free and they will ensure Vodafone honours their offer for a free 000 replacement handset. Sorry to hear you went through that.

      • 0
      • Shifter0183 on 07/01/2026 - 12:22

        I eventually got a replacement Samsung A17 to be shipped to me (arriving in about 5-7 business days) after inquiring about it at Sydney - George Street store with no issues (didn't even bother checking anything other than my new to be blocked POCO M7 and my ID) but it was still annoying since I had to waste my time going to the city. Since I am getting the replacement, I'm most likely not going to the TIO, but I will still be complaining about this entire mess to the Minister/Shadow Comm's minister to vent my frustrations.

        As a PSA to anyone else reading, avoid the Penrith Vodafone store located inside the Westfields store since they apparently didn't get the memo about the phone replacement program.

        • 0
  • savemore on 12/01/2026 - 10:30

    I'm looking for advice relating to a friend who has experienced this issue with Kogan Mobile. He bought a refurbished Samsung A71 5G (appears to be a US Model) and recently discovered that he can't make or receive calls due to his phone no longer being able to use the Vodafone network as a result of the Triple Zero outage. After looking at both the Kogan Mobile and Vodafone related websites, the device is no longer supported by Samsung with security updates ending late 2023 and support ending in 2024.
    The Vodafone store in the local shopping centre closed recently, so currently if needing to take the phone in to see if it can be replaced for free, then the closest store would be an hour away.
    Any advice as to how to organise a free replacement over the phone? Do I get him to contact Kogan Mobile or Vodafone, or do i get him to cut his losses and buy a replacement handset? He does still have an active account with Kogan Mobile (yearly plan).

    TIA
    savemore

    • 0
  • SubSonix on 16/04/2026 - 10:46

    iiNet gave me a free A17, just had to give them my IMEI.

    • 0
  • holdencars11 on 30/06/2026 - 21:26

    I am facing the same problem with my Poco X3 after returning back long term from overseas. Phone working fine overseas, just not on Lebara (Vodafone). Are these Samsung replacement phones unlocked from factory?

    • 0
  • nige0090 on 06/07/2026 - 14:57

    Has anyone had success with this program recently?

    I tried my luck in Chatswood Vodafone today, but no joy…
    We don't do this anymore….

    • 0
    • SubSonix on 12/07/2026 - 12:18

      The website still says they do, try calling them?

      • 0
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