If the Verizon Outage Left Your iPhone Stuck in SOS Mode, Here’s How to Fix It

Were you caught in the massive Verizon outage this week? Millions of customers saw “SOS” at the top of their phone screen instead of the usual connection bar graphic. Verizon has since restored service, but some people still see these three letters or receive spotty reception.

Unfortunately, when the network is down, there’s not much you can do to reconnect: you have to wait for service to resume. But you can also see the same thing with any cell phone carrier when you venture out of cellular range or even when taking the subway. Yet seeing “SOS” on your iPhone can still make you anxious.

Let’s take a look at what Apple’s Emergency SOS modes are and see what you can do when your iPhone gets stuck in them, even after service is restored.

What exactly are Apple’s Emergency SOS modes?

When you see “SOS” as a status, this refers to a feature on the Apple iPhone (14 and newer) called Emergency SOS via satellitewhich allows you to contact emergency services and share your location with them, even if you don’t have cellular network service. It’s a way to stay connected even when you’re out of coverage areas. For example, if you are hiking in a remote wilderness and get injured, you can always contact emergency services.

Emergency SOS via satellite is a separate feature from another feature found on every iPhone, simply called Emergency SOS. This requires an active service connection, calls your local emergency number and shares your location information with emergency services.

So what’s the problem with SOS mode?

Once your iPhone loses service and goes into SOS mode, your device may have trouble reconnecting to your network, even if you are back in a service area. You may notice that someone else in the area has the service while you don’t, or vice versa. Fortunately, there are several ways to resolve this problem.

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What to do if you are stuck in SOS mode

According to Apple, if you see “SOS” or “SOS only” in the status bar, you can do the following to help your device find a cellular network:

• Make sure you are in an area covered by cellular network. You can check in with people around you who seem to benefit from the service or check with your service provider.
• Turn your cellular data off and back on. Go to Settings > Cellular and switch Cellular data on and off.
• Restart your iPhone. On iPhone Wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the Side button to turn your iPhone back on. If you have an older model of iPhone, here’s how to restart it.
• Check for a carrier settings update. Your carrier may send an update to your carrier settings to improve the connectivity and performance of your cellular network. As long as you are connected to the Internet, go to Settings > General > About and check if an update is available.
• Turn your cell line off and on again. Go to Settings > Cellular > your phone number and turn your cell line on and off. If you are not using an eSIM, remove the SIM card from your phone and reinsert it.
• Update your iPhone. If the software has a bug, it can cause problems with your cellular service. To check for a software update, go to Settings > General > Software update. You’ll need internet for this to work, so Wi-Fi would be your only option if you can’t connect to cellular.
• Reset your network settings. WARNING: This will reset all your Wi-Fi networks, passwords, cellular settings, and VPN settings. Only do this if you have tried all of the solutions above first. If this suits you, go to Settings > General > Transfer or reset iPhone > Reset > Reset network Settings.

Finally, if network connection issues persist, Apple suggests contacting your phone carrier to determine if there are any issues with your carrier or account that could affect your service, such as another outage in your area or an unpaid account.

Watch this: Apple vs Google: Comparing Satellite Emergency Features

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