What Does SOS on iPhone Mean?

SOS, the universal distress symbol, is rarely a reassuring sight— less still when you see it on your trusty iPhone’s status bar. Earlier this year, AT&T customers experienced outages that resulted in a surge of SOS symbols on iPhones. On September 30, a Verizon outage resulted in another wave of SOS symbols on everything from old devices to the new iPhone 16.

If this happens to you, don't worry—it's not as bad as it sounds. Your smartphone probably isn't the problem. But what does SOS mean on iPhones?

In this article, we'll walk you through what SOS on iPhone means and how you can fix it. We’ll also talk about Emergency Mode, which is often confused with SOS mode. 

If the SOS symbol is a familiar sight on your iPhone, that might mean that you need better coverage for your area. Our free, unbiased Plan Finder can help you compare cell phone plans to find the best choices for your location and needs.

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What Does SOS Mean on iPhone?

The answer to the question what does SOS stand for on iPhones is simple. Your iPhone will go on SOS mode if you don't have a solid cellular connection to your carrier’s network. However, this alert doesn't necessarily mean your phone is completely out of service. Let's break down the details:

• Limited cell connection: There's not enough cellular signal strength to make regular calls or use data services.
• Emergency calls are possible: Even with limited cellular connectivity, your iPhone can still connect to emergency service networks, which means you can still make emergency calls or, in some regions, even send an emergency text message if you need help. For example, if you were abroad and did not have roaming enabled on your phone, you’d still be able to use your phone to call emergency services.

As of iPhone 14, iPhones can access emergency services even in the most remote locations (think caves, remote mountaintops, and the middle of the ocean) thanks to satellite networks. Satellite connectivity is not meant for regular communications but is specifically designed for emergencies. That way, you can contact emergency services even if no other network is available.

In short, it's a great safety feature, but it can also be disconcerting if you don't know how to turn it off or restore your regular service.

SOS on iPhone Explainer Video

In case you're rather watch than read on, check out our explainer video that tells you everything you need to know about SOS on iPhone.

Apple’s SOS Mode vs Emergency SOS

When you search online for SOS mode and Emergency SOS, you might find some confusing results. That's because people often use the terms interchangeably.

In response to the question what does SOS stand for on iPhone, you might see people talking about getting “stuck on SOS mode.” In this case, what they’re actually talking about is the screen where you have the option of either turning off your phone or using the Emergency SOS feature.

The difference:

• Emergency SOS: This feature automatically makes a call and shares your location with emergency services. After the call ends, Emergency SOS sends your emergency contacts a message to help find you in an emergency, such as a car accident. On iPhone 14 and later, you can use this feature to contact emergency services, such as 911, even if you have no coverage where you are. With iOS 18 installed on your iPhone, you can also share videos or photos during an emergency call using the Emergency SOS Live Video feature.
• SOS Mode: This feature just tells you that you have no cell service where you are. On iPhone 14 and later, your phone is equipped with satellite capability so that you can use Emergency SOS to contact emergency services if needed even when SOS is displayed in the top corner of the screen.

New SOS Features Unveiled With the iPhone 16

The new iPhone 16 introduces several enhanced SOS features aimed at improving emergency communication and safety. These include:

1. Satellite SOS Enhancements: Building on the SOS feature first introduced with the iPhone 14, the iPhone 16 offers more reliable satellite communication in remote areas where cellular signals are unavailable. This service remains free for two years after purchase.
2. Improved Location Accuracy: With enhanced GPS and new AI-powered tools, the iPhone 16 can pinpoint your location more accurately when using emergency SOS services.
3. Faster Emergency Responses: The iPhone 16 has been optimized to speed up the process of contacting emergency services, ensuring quicker response times, even when network connectivity is limited.

These updates, along with features like longer battery life and better water resistance, make the iPhone 16 a solid choice for safety-conscious users or those frequently in remote areas.​

SOS Only on iPhone: How to Fix

Is your iPhone stuck in SOS mode? For anyone wondering how to turn off SOS on iPhone, the first thing to understand is that, unlike Emergency Mode, there is no real way to turn off SOS only. It’s just a signal that you don’t have your normal cellular service. Despite having no service, you can still contact emergency services. 

To get rid of it, the simplest answer is to move to an area with better coverage. Once you’ve got coverage, your phone will be able to access the typical networks and make calls and texts as normal. However, it’s not always possible to just get a better signal.

If you're in an area where you normally do get a good connection, you might just need to help your iPhone reconnect to the signal.

Wondering how to boost cell signal? The fastest, easiest ways are to:

• Turn Your Cell Data On and Off: To turn your cell data on or off, go to Settings, Cellular, and toggle "Cellular Data.”
• Turn Airplane Mode On and Off: To toggle Airplane Mode, just open the Control Center on your iPhone and tap the Airplane Mode icon.
• Restart Your iPhone: To restart recent iPhones, press and hold the volume and side buttons until you see the power-off slider. The volume button is on the left side, while the side button is on the right. Drag the slider to turn off your iPhone, and give it about 30 seconds to shut down fully.
• Check Your iPhone's Cellular Settings: To check your cellular settling, go to Settings, Cellular, and select “Cellular Data Options.” From there, you can toggle Data Roaming on or off or select your voice and data options.
• Manually Update Your Carrier Settings: When connected to Wi-Fi or cellular, tap Settings > General > About. Follow the onscreen instructions to install your carrier update if there’s one available.

These tips can help jog your phone into reconnecting to the network.

If you're still having issues, the best bet is to contact your carrier. They may be working on technical issues in your area. Apple Support is another good resource, as they might be able to share if there’s a technical issue affecting your phone.

What if the tips above to boost your cell signal don't work? If your iPhone is regularly displaying SOS only in areas where it shouldn't or where your friends on the same network are getting a strong signal, you might try taking the phone to your retailer. You may have a problem with your SIM card slot or need a new SIM card.

How to Turn Off Emergency Mode on iPhone

Apple makes it easy to go into Emergency Mode as a safety feature, even when you have no service, thanks to the SOS-only ability to call emergency services even when you’re out of network.

Here’s how you can activate Emergency Mode on your iPhone or Apple Watch:

On iPhone:

• Press and hold the side button and either of the volume buttons at the same time.
• Release the buttons when the sliders appear and the Emergency SOS countdown finishes.

On Apple Watch:

• Press and hold the side button.
• Drag the Emergency Call slider to the right once the sliders appear.

These options are great for safety reasons. If you’re in a dangerous situation where you don’t want to get your phone out or don’t want to make noise, being able to silently and subtly send your location to emergency services can be a life-saver, literally.

However, it also means if your iPhone is in your pocket or loose in a purse or bag, or even if you’re holding it too tightly in your hand, you can accidentally put your phone in Emergency Mode without meaning to. You might find that you're accidentally calling emergency services more often than you’d like.

Luckily, you can disable this iOS setting if desired. But remember, disabling this mode means that you won't be able to contact emergency services as easily if you need them. If you still wanted to take advantage of this feature, you would need to re-enable the setting.

To disable the Emergency SOS feature on your iPhone:

• Go to Settings > Emergency SOS.
• Toggle off Call with Hold and Release.
• Toggle off Call with 5 Button Presses
• Toggle off Call After Severe Crash.

If you want to re-enable it later, simply turn these options back on.

The Bottom Line

With iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature and the SOS symbol on iPhone both containing the word SOS, it's no wonder so many iPhone users don’t know the answer to the question what does SOS mean on iPhone? To recap, if you see SOS only on your iPhone's status bar, it means your iPhone is in SOS mode (read: not well-connected to the network).

Meanwhile, Emergency SOS is the ability to contact emergency services from your iPhone which can be done even when it says SOS only as long as you're using an iPhone 14 or more recent version.

If you're frequently plagued by SOS only, you might want to consider switching carriers and finding a plan that better suits your needs. With our free, unbiased Plan Finder, you can quickly and easily compare cell phone plans to find the best deal for you. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is SOS showing on my iPhone?

When you see "SOS" or "SOS only" in your iPhone's status bar, it means it isn't connected to your usual cellular network. But don't worry — you can still make emergency calls. Your phone can tap into other carrier networks to ensure you can reach emergency services if needed.

How do I get my iPhone out of SOS?

To exit SOS mode on your iPhone, ensure you're in a coverage area, restart the phone, toggle Airplane Mode briefly, check for carrier updates in Settings > General > About, or reset network settings if needed (this erases saved Wi-Fi). If the issue persists, contact your carrier.

What activates SOS on iPhone?

SOS on an iPhone activates when there's no cellular signal, triggering emergency calling functions, or when the user intentionally starts it by pressing the power button rapidly or holding the side and volume buttons.