Why Your iPhone Says SOS Only

If you’ve recently purchased Apple's new iPhone 14, you may have noticed this SOS icon appear in the status bar. Which can be alarming, since it’s never been displayed by any iPhone before.
But it turns out that the SOS indicator simply means the iPhone is not connected to a cellular network, but is still able to make emergency calls. That’s why the icon appears in the area where the carrier name usually goes.

[@CelesteWuff]

As a T-Mobile employee, I've had to explain this to countless customers.

[@doodoofart6698]

stop the cap

[@CelesteWuff]

@@doodoofart6698 why must every weirdo on the internet assume that people who like tech and have interests in tech can’t manage to get jobs… wait for it- in tech

[@danielto6847]

Same 😂 it’s mostly old ladies

[@13galaxy]

@@CelesteWuff exactly. i see this shit everywhere

[@peachandtoffee]

@@doodoofart6698 how you know its a lie

[@CtrlOptDel]

Most phones, iPhone, Android, or dumb will connect to whatever network is strongest - regardless of your carrier - if you dial 911, 999, or 112 in any country. It just automatically makes the strongest connection it can to the emergency services if you dial any one of those numbers (I did once try calling 911 in the UK when I needed to contact the police & it still connected to the emergency services even though the number is 999 here).

[@arnoldmbuthia2687]

He's referring to satellite connection. Not your vanilla emergency contact

[@CtrlOptDel]

@@arnoldmbuthia2687 Granted, that emergency satellite texting feature is new & presently exclusive to the latest iPhones, but the video is still inaccurate in saying that no phone has ever previously shown “SOS” when only emergency calls could be made. As far back as 2009 I had a BlackBerry Curve that would show SOS in bold red letters as the network ID if I was outside my provider’s coverage area, but still in range of other cell towers.

[@Connorisntthere]

To sum this video, SOS in the status bar is how Apple now indicates that the phone isn't connected to a cellular network but can still make emergency calls. You may also see “SOS Only” where the carrier name usually goes. This feature works in Australia, Canada, and the United States. 🤭

[@CtrlOptDel]

It also works in the UK & Portugal and probably most other countries.

[@Connorisntthere]

@@badr58 Sadly they don’t even include Europe

[@Mike-gn4ym]

@@badr58 As an American I agree

[@AmazingJuniorBros]

@@badr58 Probably for testing since those 3 countries have like 400 million people combined so a good majority can test the feature before they release it worldwide, Im guessing they don’t release it to mexico because they’re less likely to have iphones or phones in general

[@cowwy3130]

It also works on the iPhone 13

[@SethA49]

Small correction - As many commenters have pointed out, 'SOS only' has appeared on iPhones (in many countries) for years. Say you have a SIM card/plan with Verizon (or Orange or Telstra or whatever your country's counterpart is), but the only cell towers in range of your current location belong to T-Mobile or AT&T. Your phone IS within range of a cell tower, but since it's not a VERIZON cell tower, you can't use it to surf the Web or send texts. You can, however, make a call to 911, since it's legally required (in certain countries) that doing so is free, regardless of what company you pay. The same thing happens if you don't have an active phone plan. You can still use the inactive SIM card in your phone to make 911 calls, hence the 'SOS only' status. BUT, there is a difference. On older iPhones, if you removed your SIM card, or you were in a remote area where there aren't ANY cell towers (from ANY company), the phone would instead say 'No Service', to indicate that the phone is physically unable to make any sort of cell connection, even to make a 911 call. However, in the new iPhone 14 series, the phone will still say 'SOS only' in this case, because Apple's phone's can connect to satellites (in space, instead of cell towers on the ground) to send very basic text messages to emergency services. That's the difference. Even in the middle of nowhere, your iPhone 14 may save you. Connecting to satellites to send emergency texts is not new technology. In fact, Garmin's popular 'inReach' series of handheld GPS units can send any texts over a satellite network, not just to emergency services. It's a nifty feature for the sorts of hikers and adventurers that would own a handheld GPS. However, this is the first time such a feature has existed in a mainstream cell phone. Granted, Apple's tech is definitely more limited since iPhones aren't specifically designed for this purpose and can only cram such a large antenna in their thin bodies, but it is still absolutely something to be excited about, and if you're ever in the situation which calls for such a feature, it could very well save your life. Hope this helps!

[@luhvvsophiie]

Thanks

[@Warp3326]

My iphone 8 plus says sos only tho

[@Hopexos]

I literally just looked this question up like 4 hours ago, this man is literally reading my mind

[@BaconFaceMcGee]

I did that a few days ago. I just found this video.

[@TheProGamerMC20]

its called t r a c k i n g. a lot of websites track your data, and if you didn't know already, kind of make a profile out of you even if you didn't put any information. but also it could be because google owns youtube, so that's why.

[@TheProGamerMC20]

That's why this comment is sponsored by No-

[@Hopexos]

@@TheProGamerMC20 well I watch this guy anyway, I’ve seen most of his videos lmao, I just thought it was funny

[@TheProGamerMC20]

@@Hopexos oh lol

[@ELMVD]

I love these videos. They are short and concise and get to the point

[@siji_yy]

Icl I hate it, I really loved his long deep in exploration of topics in technology and I’m not really pleased with his short type of content because I just find it boring 😅

[@claybsbl6470]

@@siji_yy then don’t watch it

[@FoxyVulpes]

my first mobile phone, an Ericsson GH688, also had such a text ("Emergencies only") in case of network coverage issues .... The rule that all networks must provide emergency services, irrelevant of the connection applies also to the entire Europe (I'm from Luxembourg). It even works without a SIM-Card in the phone (not applicable to Germany)

[@adhame95]

Some countries (including france Uk Belgium and romania) require an active SIM card to call 112/911 There is a way to bypass if you have an inactive sim card

[@Manic97LP]

@Khaliil bin Ammar in Germany and some other countries, you need an active SIM card for emergency calls. This has been enforced because it has been abused to often before by stupid kids.

[@mikewolf5367]

“SOS Only” is not just with the iPhone 14. It’s all iPhones using iOS 16 and newer.

[@ColdAsteroid]

No, IPhone With IPhone 14 And Later It Has The New Text VIA Satellite But the other phones don't have it but it still has connection with 911 (Or 112)

[@gorillagangebk]

yeah i gotta 15 Pro , and it says SOS

[@nuggo3068]

All my previous iPhone's have done this. Don't know whether the US only just introduced this, but this has been a thing in Australia for AGES.

[@xavierwilson4019]

AT&T users watching this >>>>

[@Jay_Hxnch0]

Bro this is me rn 😂

[@user-uz5px3cj3i]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@abigailwhit]

fr what’s going on??

[@Princelee444]

😂😂😂😂

[@lm_gonna_kms]

Thank god my shit ain’t broken 💀

[@XShadowCatzX]

I have a 13 and it says it too. It’s not just limited to the 14. edit: i dont care what phone satellite SOS is limited to or if you have to pay for it or not, its a feature that is good to have and worth the money when you need it.

[@austinfreyrikrw6651]

What’s limited to 14 is the satellite SOS.

[@XShadowCatzX]

@@austinfreyrikrw6651 i didn’t say satellite was on the 13, it’s why i wish i had waited for the 14.

[@Pickle_surprize1121]

I have an SE 2nd gen and it says the same thing. I think its for all supported apple devices.

[@reversee1871]

@@XShadowCatzX its not like your ever going to need the Satellite SOS thats just an emergency feature

[@XShadowCatzX]

@@reversee1871 it’s an emergency feature…. incase you need it its nice to have if you do need it

[@Whyyoutubewhy..]

I’ve experienced this on my iPhone 12, so it’s not only on the 14

[@LilyDPaige]

yea i had it on my xr

[@_SparkHere]

So it's iOS 16 only? Or what version of iOS is your iPhone running?

[@BaconFaceMcGee]

My SE 3 does this to me at my church. I don’t see too many other places.

[@anDy_r0192]

Same w my iPhone 11 Pro Max

[@boiii3productions945]

Same

[@Born2BeWildOfficial]

Daily dose of APPLE

[@tomasplunksnis1087]

Except it isn’t daily because Apple Explained doesn’t do daily uploads.

[@Born2BeWildOfficial]

@@tomasplunksnis1087 there is a channel called “Daily Dose Of Internet” it’s based off of that

[@kittyboiyt]

@@tomasplunksnis1087 neither does daily dose of internet

[@Born2BeWildOfficial]

@@kittyboiyt lol yeah 😂

[@austinwehunt2379]

100%

[@aktavisofficial]

Also happens on my XR not just the 14

[@bredsheeran2897]

Fun fact you’ve always been able to make emergency calls on any phone with no cell because of the satellites everywhere

[@bredsheeran2897]

Scammer DONT REPLY TO THAT

[@ItzTheEpicDoge]

This was really helpful. I was so confused about Sos only and contact via satellite. Thank you!

[@RandomBogey]

I have an iP12p and have seen “SOS” in the top right corner before. It definitely freaked me out, before realizing it basically just means “no service,” because I thought it meant I had accidentally made/was on an emergency call.

[@sheepsushis5720]

you must have saved so much time abbreviating "iPhone"

[@RandomBogey]

@@sheepsushis5720 Your mom was rushing me

[@shaneanagrams]

@@sheepsushis5720 Saved time typing out iPhone 12 Pro

[@TeoUnreleased]

Good video I woke up saw SOS and thought I accidentally pushed the button

[@joeglennaz]

I carry a personal locator beacon because I just know too many stories for people of disappeared and died because they cannot get help. And I’m still going to carry my beacon even though I will have the satellite coverage with Apple. I think it’s great that they’ve included this feature But everyone needs to remember it was not gonna work if your phone is dead. My personal beacon has a five-year battery so I never have to think about charging it. Carry some back up battery packs or something because it’s a great option to have on your iPhone but again if your battery‘s dead it’s not gonna do any good. Thanks for the great video.

[@DARTHDANSAN]

Yup I don’t leave the house with out my garmin inreach mini . I also have garmin inreach 66i and APRS capable ham radios

[@Jayden-lr2mm]

My iPhone 5 SE shows this icon, initially I have thought upon just having no specific connection but to have still SOS alert in it is useful

[@doodoofart6698]

iPhone 5 SE?

[@nimajneb_akl]

is there a reason to why my iPhone 6s doesn't have this feature?

[@nicg5799]

@@doodoofart6698I got the same phone having the same issue

[@youtubeicin3390]

This feature is available in Turkey for years. Even if your phone doesn’t have a SIM Card or if it’s in Airplane mode or anything, you’re able to call 911 anytime as long as you have charge. Everyone can use this feature with any device. Maybe this is the reason why our government’s saving our phones into their system so no one can use any device which came from abroad. So we need to register our device if we buy any device from anywhere, and that’s like 6,000 turkish lira. Though an iPhone 14 Pro Max is like 44.000 turkish lira in here, and in USA it’s $1100 which is equal to 21,000 turkish lira. Look, they’re charging almost %100 tax…

[@aydoyt]

Same in Australia

[@tdrg_]

It's not only for iPhone 14. Users in the US, Canada and Australia have it I think.

[@JVGaming_]

yeah i have an iphone SE and I still get this SOS Only message sometimes.

[@DascooleSchaf]

everywhere in the eu

[@agihiruda]

And in NZ

[@xavxavierm]

and in singapore

[@rkevic]

I have an Iphone 10 aka X and i use to get SOS only randomly but i guess i have terrible service where i was

[@akampfer]

Thanks for the explanation. They do that to help the customer. It would also be helpful if they made sure people knew what that was, I didn’t until I watched your video.

[@BensMultiPurposeChannel]

This is so common to see in my school because the schools walls are made out of concrete so it’s common to see on our phones

[@christianmalave5342]

This just happened to me. Problem is it happened at home where I’ve always had phenomenal service. All of a sudden nothing… doesn’t make much sense. I’d appreciate any help

[@lynda153]

Me too let me know if you get it solved

[@Ian-xd2in]

Same thing happen to me few minutes ago

[@kalebdouglas6849]

Happened to me 3 days ago wtf is this dumb shit

[@farisakhtar4824]

Wow this really explained so much. I thought my phone needed to be rescued! I really couldn't have worked it out without this video, so informative. Next time please make a video about those four digits separated by a colon at the top of the screen, and then have a video which tells us where to find the time on our iPhones.

[@tacocat1714]

It’s useful for some people. When the iPhone 11 came out, people were confused on why their left “speaker” wasn’t playing noise, it turned out that it was a microphone.

[@jenovaizquierdo]

Thank you for this video, I have an iPhone 12 Pro and when I’m in the train and is in the tunnels sometimes I see this appear, now I know.

[@Heath-vz7lc]

Been a thing in Australia for years, surprised this is only just becoming a thing in the USA?

[@JoSephGD]

It's odd that the SOS only indicator (for some reason) appears on older iPhones updating to iOS 16.

[@Bf10MS]

Yeah me iPhone X has the SOS

[@blondy2061h]

They added it in response to the iphone 14 sos via satellite feature, but even older phones can make emergency calls on networks that are in range but not subscribed too (ie, At&T customer but only Verizon tower in range). It shows on older iphones in reference to that.

[@MaxKasai-zm5mz]

Thank you for telling me this I was worried my wifi was being a idiot and calling 911 or something-

[@Randomifyyy]

This channel is like every school presentation.

[@maliceplus]

can this be caused by weather? Such as being in a storm, rain and wind

[@JohnFKingzton]

Bro this is such old news, I can’t believe you had to explain this.

[@johnkx9496]

I looked at my phone to see what carrier status it displays and I realised that I watched whole 30 minute videos with cellular data

[@Hiboyboy123]

Every phone does this. Thank you for taking about this. To few people know this.

[@lumoofficial]

we're coming for you apple!

[@jofisk]

This has been around in Australia for awhile. I've had it on my iPhone 7 and now my iPhone 11 for at leaat 2-3 years maybe longer.

[@november6701]

I’ve always thought that’s what it meant when I saw it

[@krizleithebunny]

Me : *checks the top left and sees the SOS thing* tf did i do this time

[@jonathancineus6424]

We should ALL be able to contact help when needed. For free. On all devices.

[@davidzelaya8497]

I have the iPhone 13, I’ve found this out w/ logical thinking

[@BaconFaceMcGee]

My SE3 will do this to me at church most of the time.

[@MycoolGaming]

This has happened on my XR, so I believe any phone on iOS 16 will have this feature.

[@Moetheboi2024]

Imagine before satellite if you didn’t have connection it says “You Will Be Missed”

[@billyplatter3372]

Still makes no sense , I live in Columbus ohio and pay for cellular data , in a populated area with connection not an issue why does my phone always go to sos mode in a populated area ? I’d understand the country but a city

[@patrick71994]

Wait what? This is not new? Maybe in the USA but this was always visible on my phone when my main carrier was not available. The ‘no service’ is only shown when absolutely no usable network is nearby. I had this feature already on my Nokia 3310.

[@exelierxe.e]

11:00PM *Apple Explain:* 😴 _Apple:_ Hey slave, we got a job *Apple Explain:* 😟

[@esandrabethanie520]

In Australia we have always had the sos sign on all i phones and on iPads that have SIM cards

[@dannyd1987]

Next Video: Why your iPhone ringing when someone is calling you

[@RebelGoneLoco]

😂

[@Keptsome]

😂

[@_tweezy]

😂 nigga that’s funny asl

[@CupidClxvdy]

@@_tweezythats a bad word

[@_tweezy]

@@CupidClxvdy ok and idgaf 💀

[@floratink]

LOVE my iPhone 14 Plus!

[@tiana8777]

okay but i’m at home connected to wifi and my internet keeps cutting in and out??? i’ll go from full bars to zero to sos only??? and when i left like 30 ft from my house it just straight up said “no service” so is this a tower issue or????

[@yka1other]

I have the same on my iPhone XS Max in Canada- not just 14s in the US

[@LeahDykema]

Thank you so much! My iPhone X seems to display this frequently.

[@Vxporized]

In this video, you state that this occurs on new iPhone 14s, but I want to ask if it's normal to see the "SOS Only" on an iPhone XR?

[@playershortsyt]

It’s in Canada as well

[@dominic_19077]

You can even make emergency calls without a SIM card over here in Germany. I wonder why the US is so late to the game… We can also do WLAN Calling here, so as long as there is SOME KIND of connection of any sort, you can make emergency calls.

[@anthonykelley2085]

This also occurs on any iPhone.

[@jeffboldrinjr7166]

But how do you fix the issue of the new iPhones going to SOS only randomly?

[@religiousindustrialaliens]

not just new iPhones. are you on Verizon?

[@jeffboldrinjr7166]

@@religiousindustrialaliens Yeah and I didn’t have this issue until getting the iPhone 14 pro max I had a 12 pro max beforehand

[@sarahsolomon1949]

Yes! Omg! This problem needs to be addressed ASAP! This is happening more often in my I phone 14 Pro Max! Sometimes whenever I toggle Airplane mode on and then iff again is resets the phone out of this mode and fixes the problem. I even turn the phone on and then off again and sometimes it helps. I don’t know how else to fix it besides that.

[@IamMauriS]

Nice knowledge

[@DDArmy]

Could you make a video about ios16 draining older iphones* batteries and if they doing it to encourage costumer to buy a new phone? I thought this topic was over but i cant believe they are doing it again. *older iphones means iphone 12 or older which isnt really old

[@kankan4043]

POV u forgot to pay ur iPhone 14 emergency sos via satellite fee 💀💀

[@simonedishelle6720]

How do you fix the issue?

[@buzzthecat1]

My XR says SOS only when not in AT&T’s range and says no service when not in range of any carrier

[@nicholastzanetos606]

This is also available in other countries, like Greece.

[@fluffyfox6045]

Isn't this the same thing, worldwide, on any phone?

[@jacksonlancaster3113]

Make it make sense when there’s a cell tower not even 100 feet from our school and we still have no service

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

this is handy if you were involved in a crash and you dont have cell service

[@T.R.Y.1313]

Yeah but I’m at home and there’s no reason for me not to have cell service.

[@lucasgiles7613]

Huh in Australia that’s come up for years, when we are in the outback. We can use other Carriers to call 000 emergency services

[@RealchyBRAND]

That’s a lie you cannot text while your phone is in an SOS mode

[@texasbelle333]

I just switched to the 14 and AT&T today… I’m annoyed and disappointed. I could’ve kept my $60 unlimited plan with Metro, and had the peace of mind knowing my 6 has a headphone jack and reliable service off of Wi-Fi

[@tech-review3723]

Apple explained next video - why iPhone is iPhone 🤣🤣😂😅

[@dojousen292]

its just sza’s new album no need to worry

[@AnimalJammerAnaGood]

how do we fix it ??? is it something the carrier has to deal with?

[@lighte.creations]

This also happens on iPhone 13 and some older ones, too.

[@AWAYTAE]

I have seen it on my iPhone 8

[@sometimesuploading1146]

I’ve seen this sos only pop up on my device and I have a older apple phone. It seems to be on all products from the iPhone 8 and up starting with the iOS 16 updates

[@Bread.799]

I try ink AT&T is having a problem because me and my mothers phones are going on SOS so idk

[@RainShinotsu]

A lot of people are saying they get it on their non-14 iPhones, so I'm a little late, but I can say the indicator is also on SE 2.

[@janrudolph9106]

Well, I remember that this feature existed in the EU for ages already. But tbh I never noticed it, as with T-Mobile I mostly have either them or a Roaming partner to connect to. 😊

[@uthmanbaksh3530]

Back when I had Verizon I was able to place an emergency call on my old RAZR even though my phone was inactive on the network.

[@BiomeYTube]

Bruh, dudes got that genshin impact sound track playin in the back

[@braydenquinn6786]

i dont wanna sound stupid but in australia you could already call emergency services with no service for yonks

[@boneyboi]

This has been in Australia for years

[@Justice69734]

Is this an April fools video? This has been around FOREVER 😂

[@Moetheboi2024]

Finally, someone who able to explain.

[@Memerproductions]

so bassically i needa pay my phone bill.

[@sharksbean]

I have an iPhone XR and I just started getting this problem today. It was saying something about an invalid sim

[@KuzcoQuise]

Idk about the sim part, but mines too though

[@sharksbean]

@@KuzcoQuise for my phone I had to pop the sim tray open and reinsert it to fix the issue

[@KuzcoQuise]

@@sharksbean I’ll give a try, thanks my guy 👌🏾

[@fredskronk]

I’ve never really thought about iPhone showing “no service” rather than an “SOS” before. But new regulation? Seriously? At least here in Sweden a mobile phone has always connected to nearest tower regardlessly. Been so for more than twenty years.

[@derppay2507]

This does appears in older iPhones, mine, an Xr displayed that when I moved to Canada, my sim at that time was a Peruvian one.

[@darlenejones9501]

I woke up to a SOS in the status area can’t make calls or receive calls😡

[@qua6601]

Same here wat too doo?

[@williamfahler]

This has been a thing for years on iPhone in Australia

[@yelsnehdivad]

I read a comment that had said to update your phone to the newest ios and lo and behold that was my fix for this issue….hope this helps

[@btabray]

i’ve experienced this on my SE 2, this isn’t limited to iphones w/o physical home buttons (maybe only devices compatible with ios 16)

[@elliekim6666]

Well it says sos even if you have a cell plan because it is connecting to a tower … just not your carriers tower. Meaning you still can call 911

[@WiresOfFire]

SOS appeared on my 12S (no SIM card) after installing iOS 17.6. Now I am unable to make calls or answer calls of any kind. Airplane Mode switch off and on did not help. No phone service of any kind now.

[@Waffles705]

Does this happen if you have a phone plan but haven’t been able to pay the bill just yet when I pay the bill will it start to work again

[@Christodoulosts]

It’s unacceptable that those features not even but start existing after 30 years of mobile phoning on the market!!! That’s disappointing

[@KuzcoQuise]

But if you are around Wi-Fi can you still use the phone like normal ? Can somebody answer ? Thanks

[@ilym02]

its actually the promotion for SZA's new album

[@AshJake41ProGaming]

Fast explanation: Emergency calls only