How can I fix SOS on my iPhone?

General
1

My iPhone suddenly shows ‘SOS Only’ in the signal bar. I’m not able to make or receive calls. I don’t know what caused this issue and need help troubleshooting and fixing it. Any guidance would be appreciated.

2

Ugh, the dreaded ‘SOS Only’! Been there, lived it, hated it. It’s usually one of three culprits: your carrier, your SIM card, or your phone itself throwing a temper tantrum. Here’s the list of what you can try:

  1. Toggle Airplane Mode: Quick fix? Swipe down to your Control Center, tap Airplane Mode on, wait 10 seconds, then off. Sometimes it’s like a slap on the wrist for your phone.

  2. Restart Your Phone: I know, I know, the classic IT solution. But seriously, power it down, count to ten like you’re calming yourself, and then power it back up.

  3. Check for Carrier Settings Update: Go to Settings > General > About. If there’s an update, install it. Basically, let your phone and carrier talk it out.

  4. SIM Check: If you’ve got a physical SIM, pop that sucker out and back in. Sometimes the phone just forgets it’s there. No SIM? Just kidding, you can’t ignore this.

  5. Network Reset: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. You’ll lose saved Wi-Fi passwords, but who needs those anyway? Oh, right, you do.

  6. Carrier Problems: Ever think it’s not you, it’s them? Check if there’s an outage in your area. Your carrier’s site or a quick Google search works wonders.

  7. Update iOS: Your phone might be stuck in its ways. Kick it with the latest iOS update under Settings > General > Software Update.

  8. Physical Damage?: If you dropped your phone (don’t lie, you did), it could be hardware related. Time to embrace the genius at the Apple Store.

If none of this works, well, congratulations—you’re now the proud owner of a very fancy iPod. :roll_eyes: In all seriousness, it might be time to call your carrier or visit an Apple Store. Let them deal with the ‘SOS Only’ drama.

3

Ok, first off, don’t panic—your phone isn’t auditioning for a dystopian movie with a permanent ‘SOS ONLY’ title card. While @cacadordeestrelas brought up some solid points, they missed a few tricks when this nonsense happens.

  1. Location, Location, Location: Is this happening indoors? Maybe you’re in a dead zone. Walk around, wave your phone in the air like you’re signaling to an alien spaceship, and check if you regain a signal. Some buildings or areas just hate cell service—science hasn’t figured out why.

  2. Check Roaming Settings: If you’re near a border or traveled recently, your device might be confused about which network it’s supposed to use. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options and toggle Data Roaming on. Yes, roaming fees suck, but so does not texting back.

  3. Manual Network Selection: Go old school. Head to Settings > Cellular > Network Selection and turn off the automatic option. Pick your carrier manually from the list. Sometimes your phone just needs to be bossed around a little.

  4. Profile Reset via Carrier: Ask your carrier’s support to ‘refresh’ your profile on their end. I know, a phone call when your phone doesn’t work?! Yeah, sarcasm noted. Use another line or chat with them online. Sometimes they accidentally misplace your service settings on their servers—classic carrier behavior.

  5. Check for SIM Expiry (yep, it’s a thing): If you’re using a prepaid service, your SIM card might have expired due to inactivity or lack of funds. Spin through your carrier account to ensure everything’s active and paid up. They don’t usually remind you!

  6. E-SIM Drama: If you’re using an eSIM, try re-downloading it. Erase the existing one and re-add it. Go to Settings > Cellular, tap your eSIM line, and delete it (sounds scary, I know). Then follow your carrier’s reactivation instructions.

A quick side note: @cacadordeestrelas mentioned physical hardware issues IF you dropped your phone. Respectfully, I’m calling that a long shot unless you’re juggling your iPhone in parking lots daily. Dropping it once or twice usually doesn’t destroy your cellular antenna.

Final (annoying) tip: back up your data and do a FULL restore of your phone via iTunes, Finder, or iCloud. It’s like scrubbing your iPhone’s memory of weird glitches. But yeah, this one takes time and patience, two things most of us lack. If you’re still screaming into the void after all this, off to the Apple Store you go. At least their Wi-Fi works.