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Why does my phone say SOS? What you should know about cell phone failures

Posted on by Vanessa
Why does my phone say SOS? What you should know about cell phone failures

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

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

With more than 2,000 Verizon outages, Phoenix was one of the hardest-hit cities. The increase in outage reports began around 6:30 a.m. and continued to increase beginning at 8:00 a.m. Arizona time. Downdetector estimates that more than 37,000 Verizon customers and hundreds of other providers were affected.

The service outage also caused some to see an SOS icon where cell service would normally appear on the screen. Here's what it means and how to fix it.

Why does my phone say SOS?

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

According to Apple Support, if you're having phone service issues and you see “SOS” or “SOS only” in the status bar, it means your device can still make emergency calls even though it's not connected to a phone network.

The purpose is to allow you to call first responders in an emergency even though you don't have cell service. According to Apple, when users make an SOS call, iPhone automatically calls the local emergency number and shares the user's location information with emergency services. In some countries and regions, users may be required to select the service they need.

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

If the cellular issue has been resolved and you still cannot connect to a cellular network, contact Apple Support.

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