Carrier Settings Update popups. Real? Scam?

Question

Carrier Settings Update popups. Real? Scam?

I started getting popup Carrier Settings Update alerts 2 days ago on my iPhone 6 running 10.3.1 iOS, which I've never seen before.

I called AT&T and spoke to several TS and CS reps none of whom knew about any updates so they couldn't tell me what they were or if it was recommended to click "Update."

Anyone getting these? I Googled and found some posts dating back to 2015, and only a couple for 2017. So I called AppleCare and while the Senior Rep I spoke with was aware of these alerts, he wasn't aware of any available needing to be updated now, or what the update might do.

My iPhone 6's Carrier Settings version is 28.3 and the closest info I found was that there seems to be a 28.4 available since April 2017, but this update was in regard to an iPhone 7 discussion, and I'm not sure if these updates are phone or iOS specific.

As you can see from my screen shot, the popup alerts are totally generic, no fine print, no "more info..." to logos, no accompanying emails to let you know an update is available and what it does and why you might update. Apple makes the iPhone and iPad able to update Carrier Settings Updates and the carrier makes the actual Settings software so since the text doesn't establish the version, or if the update is the actual update, or the software to allow your carrier to provide us with Settings Updates. The text is too vague and generic to know anything.

In the world of hacking and the amount of info we hear about hacks, malware right to the highest levels like elections, I'm wanting to know what I'm getting if I click the Update link. I told both AT&T and Apple via AppleCare (and will send a Feedback later today) that whoever is responsible for these update alerts, in this day and age we need to know what the update is, how to find more info and who is the company providing the update on our phones.

Sadly, you can't get a clue at all what the update is, who sent it and where to find more info if you want it.

The way I get the alert to show up every time, go to: Settings > General > About and the alert shows up and looks like this:

If you click "Carrier" it changes from

Carrier AT&T 28.3 to:

IMS Status Voice & SMS

Anyone getting these? Anyone update and have any problems? Or simply: is this safe to update to?

I gather these Carrier Settings Updates can happen on iPads too, but mine's not show one and my version is AT&T 28.0

Thanks,

Steven

iPhone 6, iOS 10.1.1

Posted on May 10, 2017 7:46 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

wldcrdace

Level 1

4 points

Jun 9, 2017 10:55 AM in response to Steven Shmerler

I don't think they are fake but I've been refusing to load mine. They showed up from both Verizon and AT&T within a couple of weeks of congress passing the law that allows ISPs to spy on you, collect your data, and sell to third parties. I assume they are connected. While they can of course track your data on their lines they probably also need to drop super cookies on your phone to track more info. My work phone is one network, my personal another, and they both showed up within a few days of each other.

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Answer 2

May 10, 2017 7:54 AM in response to Steven Shmerler

Update your carrier settings on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

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Answer 3

May 10, 2017 7:54 AM in response to Steven Shmerler

I have never heard of a Carrier Update being faked. There's also little likelihood that customer facing AT&T personnel would know much about the releases unless they'd seen them on their own devices. I've also never seen a carrier explain what they were for. There was one time that an iOS update broke something for TMobile customers and TMobile announced they'd be releasing a carrier update so everyone assumed that the update that followed shortly addressed that issue.

You can certainly submit feedback to Apple but it's really not up to them.

As an iPad is not a cell phone, it won't necessarily get the same Carrier Updates as a phone, even on the same carrier.

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Answer 4

May 10, 2017 8:03 AM in response to Steven Shmerler

System Messages like the one for Carrier updates would be very difficult to fake.

The Update comes directly from the Carrier and prompts the iOS to generate the message, which means unless the entire carrier is now compromised these are perfectly legit Carrier Updates.

What its for however, is unknown. Carrier's are not known to disclose what their updates are for exactly. Nor would Customer Support AT&T personnel really have any inside info about it.

There's no way to know what it is, but its pretty safe to assume it is coming directly from the carrier so there should be no issue with it.

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Answer 5

Jun 9, 2017 4:40 PM in response to wldcrdace

wldcrdace wrote:

I assume they are connected.

Correlation does not prove causality. Both of those carriers have been tracking your data usage, location and a bunch of other things for years. They are also not ISPs, exactly.

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Answer 6

Jun 9, 2017 4:39 PM in response to wldcrdace

wldcrdace wrote:

I don't think they are fake but I've been refusing to load mine. They showed up from both Verizon and AT&T within a couple of weeks of congress passing the law that allows ISPs to spy on you, collect your data, and sell to third parties. I assume they are connected. While they can of course track your data on their lines they probably also need to drop super cookies on your phone to track more info. My work phone is one network, my personal another, and they both showed up within a few days of each other.

Your information isn't exactly right. ISPs have always been able to spy on you, collect your data, and sell it to 3rd parties. Congress did not pass a law allowing it; what they did was decide not to pass a law that had been proposed that would forbid it.

Verizon has been using supercookies for years, secretly. Both for FiOS and cellular. AT&T has an opt out on their website.

So it's unlikely that the carrier update had anything to do with this.

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Answer 7

Jun 9, 2017 11:13 PM in response to wldcrdace

Oops, may want to check on the accuracy of your statement. Not true, but it makes for great political talking points

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