It started happening randomly. I’d glance at my phone and instead of signal bars, I’d see “SOS” in the corner of the screen. Sometimes it would switch back after a few minutes. Other times it stayed there, even when people around me clearly had service.
At first I assumed it was poor coverage. But when it kept happening in areas where I normally had full signal, it became clear something else was going on. If your iPhone keeps getting stuck in SOS mode, here’s what it actually means — and the steps that finally fixed it.
