news

Why does my phone say SOS? What you need to know about a cell phone outage

Vaseline September 30, 2024

(Updated with new information.)

Tens of thousands of mobile phone users were affected by a nationwide telecommunications outage on Monday.

Verizon users were the most affected, followed by AT&T, T-Mobile and US Cellular users, according to Downdetector.com, a website that monitors real-time outages.

Phoenix was one of the hardest hit cities, with more than 5,000 Verizon customers. Chicago, Seattle, Omaha and Indianapolis also experienced significant impacts. The increase in outages began around 6:30 a.m. and peaked around 8:15 a.m., Arizona time.

Downdetector showed that more than 100,000 Verizon customers and thousands from other carriers nationwide were affected. More than half of affected customers reported problems with their mobile phones, while 34% said they had no signal and 13% reported a total blackout.

Verizon said the company was aware of the issue and was working to restore service to customers.

“Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to resolve the issue,” the company wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

As of 10:30 am, reports of outages appeared to be decreasing, with over 50,000 customers still reporting problems.

The service outage also caused some to see an SOS icon where cell phone service usually appears on the screen. Here’s what it means and how to fix it.

Why does my phone say SOS?

An SOS symbol appeared on the screens of iPhone users using Verizon, where cell service bars normally appear.

If you’re having trouble with phone service and you see SOS or “SOS Only” in the status bar, according to Apple Support, this means your device can still make emergency calls even though it’s not connected to a phone network.

The goal is so that you can call first responders in an emergency, even if you don’t have cell phone service. When users make an SOS call, the iPhone automatically calls the local emergency number and shares the user’s location data with emergency services, Apple said. In some countries and regions, users may need to choose the service they need.

If you need further assistance with the outage, please contact Verizon Support.

If the cellular issue is resolved and you are still unable to connect to a cellular network, contact Apple Support.