Has your iPhone suddenly entered SOS mode? You’re not alone! Reports from across U.S. social media indicate that service providers like AT&T, Verizon, Cricket, T-Mobile, and more may currently be facing service issues amid a national outage, triggering iPhones to enter into a no-service state.
However, according to carriers T-Mobile and Verizon, its services are operating as normal, and the reports from its users of outages may be the result of attempts to contact AT&T customers who appear to be those most affected.
Thankfully, while the SOS warning sounds severe it doesn’t mean that there is a state of national emergency, or that you’re in danger. iPhone’s SOS mode kicks in when your cellular connection has been severed, meaning you can only complete SOS calls or texts to emergency services.
People owning an iPhone 13 or earlier devices won’t get the SOS indicator but will see a “No service” indicator, instead.
According to Downdetector.com, the following areas are reporting major cellular issues:
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- New York
- Los Angeles
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Hawaii
iPhone SOS cellular service outage: Reportedly affected networks
- AT&T
- Sprint
- T-Mobile
- Boost
- US Cellular
- Net10 Wireless
- Mint Mobile
- Verizon
- Cricket
- Consumer Cellular
- Straight Talk
- TracFone
- Hello Mobile
Please note that while customers have reported outage issues on these networks they may be reporting issues with connecting to AT&T customers, who seem to be the ones most affected by the current issues.
In a recent statement, both Verizon and T-Mobile explained that their networks were currently not experiencing outages, with Verizon stating “Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting with customers served by another carrier.”
A post on Twitter/X does suggest AT&T’s network may be primarily at fault, while also noting that the issues could be causing emergency services issues after the San Francisco Fire Department informed the public that AT&T customers are also struggling to make calls to 911 services. The SFFD, requests that people do not call or text 911 to test their ability to do so, however, it does recommend that AT&T users make use of a landline to call emergency services during the outage.
AT&T cellular outages: How to solve iPhone SOS indicator
Sadly, with a national outage, there’s little you can personally do to resolve this. The fault should be in the process of being fixed by the likes of AT&T’s engineers and resolved ASAP.
However, you may be able to resolve the issue in certain areas by following our guide on SOS on iPhone: What it means and how to fix it.
Beyond this, it’s a waiting game while the affected cellular providers try to work on a solution. The cause of this outage is, as of yet, unknown, and while many are speculating online that this could be the result of a cyber attack, there is no evidence to prove such claims.
Outlook
User reports are seemingly increasing for this issue nationwide, so while it may be frustrating, it also means that the issue will be a high priority for AT&T to resolve. This is likely to be a temporary issue, so don’t worry too much.
We’ll update this page with more news as it arrives, but until then at least know that the issue isn’t exclusively your own and that a continuation of service should follow.
+ iPhone SOS issue wider than first reported. Article updated to include Verizon and T-Mobile cellular disruptions.
+ Article updated to include DownDetector.com maps of Verizon and T-Mobile cellular disruptions as of 02/22/24 6 a.m. ET.
+ Article updated to include Cricket service outage reports as well as DownDetector.com maps of Cricket cellular disruptions as of 02/22/24 6:20 a.m. ET.
+ Article updated to include a list of cellular providers reported to be experiencing issues relating to the ongoing outage.
+ Article updated to Michigan and North Carolina as affected areas based on information from readers.
+ Article updated for accuracy in line with information regarding T-Mobile and Verizon service status and further comments from Verizon, reports of issues in Hawaii and Wisconsin, alongside emergency advice from the San Francisco Fire Department.
+ Article updated to show DownDetector.com maps of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Cricket cellular disruptions as of 02/22/24 9:30 a.m. ET.
