When we take our iPhones out of our pocket to make a call, send a text, or check our email, we expect them to work. When they don’t, it can be a frustrating experience, especially when you can’t get online. If you’re away from Wi-Fi, you’re dependent on a cellular connection, and when that isn’t available, you’ll be alerted with an SOS icon in the status bar. Here’s what it means and how you can fix it.
SOS mode doesn’t mean your iPhone is in distress. Rather, it means your device isn’t connected to a cellular network and can only make emergency calls via satellites. This feature is available in Australia, Canada, the United States, the U.K., Japan, and parts of Europe. In other regions, it will say No Service or Searching. It requires an iPhone 14, 15, or 16 running iOS 18.2 or later.
There are several reasons why your iPhone may be in SOS mode:
Dead spots: The most common reason for seeing SOS on your iPhone is if you travel into a dead spot. Even the most expansive networks have areas without coverage, and if you walk or drive into one of them, you’ll lose the ability to make calls for as long as you’re
Carrier outage: Occasionally, carriers will have outages that affect customers across the country. When that happens the carrier will communicate with customers to let them know when service will be restored. To find out if your carrier is having problems where you are try Down Detector (U.S,) or DownDetector (U.K.).
Cellular data is off: In Settings or Control Center, there is an option to toggle off Cellular just like Wi-Fi. If it’s grayed out instead of green, tap it to turn it on.
SOS means your iPhone can only call out to emergency services, including 911 in the U.S. If you have an iPhone 14 or later, you can also use Emergency SOS via Satellite to text emergency services when you’re off the grid with no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. With iOS 18, you also send iMessages or SMS messages via satellite when you lose cellular coverage.
The first thing to do if your iPhone is in SOS mode is to check your surroundings. If you’re in an unfamiliar place, try traveling a bit to see if your phone connects. Dead spots can be avoided just by walking a bit or driving to a different area. If you’re somewhere where you usually have coverage, try toggling the Cellular button on your phone to force it to reconnect.
Finally, a restart can sometimes fix connection issues. Hold down the power and volume up buttons until the shutdown slider appears. Slide it to power off, wait 15 seconds or so, and hold down the power button until the Apple logo appears.
