What Does SOS Only Mean on iPhone? How to Fix

by Suresh · Published September 7, 2023 · Updated March 25, 2024

SOS stands for “Safety of Services” and is Apple’s emergency feature. When you press the side button five times quickly, it will call emergency services and send a text message with your location to your emergency contacts. Additionally, it will also display an alert on the lock screen. This feature is useful in a medical emergency or other situations where you cannot unlock your phone. It also allows your emergency contacts to know exactly where you are, so they can help you if necessary. It is also imperative to know what does SOS only mean on iPhone.

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Meaning of SOS on iPhone

An “SOS Only” message can be frustrating for iPhone users. You will see this message in the status bar when your iPhone cannot establish a cellular network connection. If this message appears on your device, it means that you can only make emergency calls with it. Your wireless carrier or hardware may be at fault. You can restart your phone or contact your wireless carrier if you see the “SOS Only” message.

Whenever your iPhone fails to establish a reliable connection to a cellular network, iOS 16 and previous versions of iOS have an SOS indicator located in the top-right corner. It is not possible to use cellular data, make or receive phone calls, or send messages.

You can, however, call 911 or the concerned authorities using the emergency SOS service. It also tells you that you are not in the coverage area. There is a need to understand the deeper meaning of what does SOS mean on iPhone.

Why Does My iPhone Say”SOS Only”?

It is also crucial for users to know what SOS only means on iPhones. There are multiple reasons why you may see this message on your device. Let’s check its causes.

Network Coverage

In areas with poor or no network coverage, your iPhone may display this message.

Carrier Issue

An “SOS Only” message may appear if the network coverage of your carrier is poor or the server goes down.

Sim Card Problem

When your SIM card is damaged or incorrectly inserted, your iPhone may display the “SOS Only” message.

iOS Updates

Your iPhone may display an “SOS”

Airplane Mode

You cannot connect to the cellular network if you forget to turn off airplane mode after turning it on.

These are the primary causes of what does SOS mean on iPhone. We can also fix them perfectly.

Method To Fix SOS Only on iPhone

It is also important for users to solve the issue of SOS only quickly, so they can use their iPhones perfectly. You can use these simple ways to solve the issue quickly. It becomes easier when you know what does SOS only means on iPhone.

Turn Off and On Cellular Data

A network error can prevent your iPhone from going into SOS mode. The error is mostly fixed when you disable and enable cellular data.

To turn on cellular or mobile data, go to Settings.
Turn off mobile data or cellular service.
You will need to wait a few seconds before you can switch on cellular data.
To disable cellular data, you can also request the Control Center and tap the Cellular Data icon. After, you can wait few seconds then after tap it to enable it.

It is also crucial to check if the issue of SOS only is fixed or not.

Enable Data Roaming

iPhones only display SOS when data roaming is disabled. When traveling, make sure you check this setting.

Select Cellular/Mobile Data from the Settings menu.
Choose Cellular Mobile Data Options from the menu.
Here you can turn on data roaming.

The status bar can display 4G or 5G instead of SOS.

Switch to 4G or LTE

You can experience signal strength and connectivity issues because 5G is not yet fully functional globally. It is also imperative to disable 5G and go with 4G. Now you can check whether the SOS problem is solved or not.

Restart to Fix SOS Only on iPhone

It is the most convenient and widely used troubleshooting method. It’s surprising, but it mostly works in your favor. A resetting of the caches can resolve any bug or settings error, allowing a stable network connection.

You can turn off your iPhone with Face ID by holding down the volume up/down and the side button simultaneously until you see the power-off slider appear. Turn the phone off by sliding it.
On an iPhone with Touch ID, you will see the power slider screen by pressing and holding the side button. To turn off the device, drag the power slider.

Press and hold the power button to restart the device after it shuts down.

Update Carrier Settings

These settings are provided by the carrier and improve cellular connectivity. Your iPhone’s carrier settings can also be manually updated, although they are usually done automatically. You can now see how to ensure that your device is connected to stable Wi-Fi and cellular data is enabled before proceeding.

Go to the General tab in Settings.
Here you click on About.
A pop-up appears if an update is available; click Update to install it.

You need to manually download the new carrier settings if you are setting up an eSIM or recently did so. When the network bars do not return to the status bar after the update, try the next step.

Disable and Enable Automatic Network Selection

Your network connection will be stable if you are connected to the right network (carrier). By turning it off and on the process again you can restore the device’s connection to the network, and enable you to turn off SOS only on the iPhone.

You can simply navigate to Settings → Cellular/Mobile Data.
Choose a network from the list.
Now you can turn off the automatic switch.

Re-Insert SIM

There is a possibility that the physical SIM card disrupts the network connection, although this doesn’t happen very often. You can remove SOS-only on your iPhone by performing a simple reset. In this case, you need to remove the SIM card from your iPhone, restart the phone, and then reinstall the SIM card.

Update iOS

SOS is displayed due to a software issue. It can be easily resolved by updating your OS. Check for the latest version updates and install them if they are available on the phone.

On the Settings page, tap General.
Update the software by selecting it.
Install the software if it is available.

Reset Your Network Settings

Your iPhone’s SOS message can be eliminated by troubleshooting if the previous methods have not worked. Data such as Bluetooth connections, Wi-Fi logins, VPN settings, and other critical information is deleted. Before you proceed with this method, make a note of all the details you need.

Firstly, you need to Go to the General section of Settings.
Then you can do a scrolling down to transfer or reset your iPhone.
Here you can choose Reset.
Enter the passcode if prompted after selecting Reset Network Settings.
You will need to tap Reset Network Settings again to confirm the action.
Turn it back on after a few seconds.

Here it is necessary to check whether the issue of SOS only on iPhones is solved or not.

Final Thoughts

It is also vital to understand what does SOS only means on iPhones. You can also use the above methods to solve the SOS only on iPhone. It is also important to follow all the steps properly, so you can quickly solve the issue.

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