When you see "SOS" or "SOS Only" at the top of your iPhone screen, it means your device has lost connection to your regular cellular network and can only make emergency calls. Your iPhone is unable to make normal calls, send texts, or use data through your carrier but can still reach emergency services like 911 in the US or equivalent numbers in other countries by connecting to any available network for emergencies
. This status typically appears because:
- You are out of your carrier's coverage area or in a network blackspot.
- Your SIM card is inactive, failed, or not recognized.
- There is a network outage affecting your carrier.
- Your phone's network settings are misconfigured, such as not having automatic network selection enabled.
- You might be abroad without roaming enabled
The SOS indicator is a safety feature ensuring you can still call emergency services even if your normal cellular connection is unavailable. It is different from "No Service" or "Searching," which indicate no cellular networks are found at all. "SOS" means some network is reachable, but not your carrier's
. To resolve the SOS status, you can try:
- Moving to an area with better cellular coverage.
- Restarting your iPhone.
- Toggling Airplane Mode on and off.
- Checking your SIM card and network settings to ensure automatic network selection is enabled
In summary, "SOS" on your iPhone means you are limited to emergency calls only because your phone cannot connect to your usual cellular network, but it can still reach emergency services through other available networks.
