iPhone stuck in SOS mode? It's not just you: AT&T outage affects cell network

"Why is my iPhone showing SOS?"

Most of the time, an iPhone showing the SOS message means there's a disruption to your cellular signal. This can be due to being in an area with poor reception, a fault with your device, or (more typically) an issue within your cellular service provider's network.

From ongoing reports we're tracking across social media sites and service outage trackers like DownDetector.com, it would seem that the AT&T network is currently experiencing some form of service outage affecting customers in various states.

Laptop Mag has reached out to AT&T for more information on the potential cause or estimated time until issues are resolved.

SOS on iPhone: "Who is affected?"

Those currently experiencing the SOS message on iPhone may be wondering if they're part of any ongoing outage at present. Sadly, it's not so easy to say for sure.

However, thanks to user-submitted reports of service interruption on sites like DownDetector.com we can pinpoint where a majority of complaints may be hailing from.

Judging by the heatmap of locations from user-submitted reports, the following states or territories appear to be making the most reports of service disruption:

• Texas
• Washington, D.C.
• Washington
• Kansas

It's worth noting that while there are a large number of reports coming from the previously mentioned states or territories, there's no guarantee that each is afflicted by the exact same service outage that others are reporting.

The data collected by sites like DownDetector is user-submitted and may include regular service issues and even incorrect reports as well as any widespread customer reports of ongoing problems.

That being said, compared to the average number of user-submitted reports per hour on DownDetector, there is a clear spike in reported service issues indicating that a problem is both present and ongoing. However, we cannot say exactly who is affected or where at this moment with one hundred percent certainty.

The worst moment for a fault? Not for some.

While your iPhone being stuck in SOS mode might be the bane of your day, there are some who might find the problems faced by AT&T to be a good thing, at least when it comes to making their point about working conditions.

Over the last few days, more than 17,000 AT&T workers have been striking across the Southeastern US after walking out on Friday, August 16 amid ongoing contract negotiations.

The Communication Workers of America District 3 claims that AT&T management has engaged in unfair labor practices during negotiations for a new union contract. The union has since filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that AT&T was not acting in good faith during the ongoing talks.

The striking workers may gain some recognition and bargaining power over AT&T management for the work they do as AT&T encounter hitches today, but according to CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, they're just eager to get back on the job, stating "Our members want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers deserve."

Amid the ongoing talks, AT&T has issued a statement claiming that its "Goal in all contract negotiations is to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the hard work our employees do to serve our customers, while allowing us to adapt to the competitive markets we serve."

AT&T have since sought to bring a federal mediator to the table in order to resolve contract negotiations and bring its workers back on the job as quickly as possible.

If nothing else, today's issues highlight the importance of the on-the-ground workers who maintain AT&T's infrastructure.

User reports are in decline: No more SOS on iPhone?

Almost as quickly as it began, the rapid surge of user-submitted service issues with the AT&T network is beginning to decline according to the latest information tracked by DownDetector, indicating that the cellular provider has resolved the issue or at the very least deploying a fix.

Still receiving an SOS message on iPhone? Stick around and we'll attempt to help you further.

"How do I fix SOS on iPhone?"

While it appears that AT&T has begun to resolve its network issues, there's still no guarantee that you'll be freed from your SOS on iPhone prison any time soon. Some service issues can take a while to fully resolve, and if you're not affected by these issues, then you may require an entirely different level of support.

If you're still stuck with the SOS message on iPhone, don't worry. While your safest bet is to wait it out, there are steps you can take to potentially speed up the process of regaining full service.

Check out our guide on SOS on iPhone: What it means and how to fix it for tips on how to manually give your iPhone a jog on its way back to service as usual. While we can't guarantee it will work for you, we can say that the methods we share are short, safe, and well worth giving a shot.

SOS on iPhone: AT&T aware of issue

Thanks to the team manning AT&T's X account, we can at least say for sure that the company has become aware of the issue, even if it now seems to be in the process of being resolved (though user-submitted reports of service affecting issues do appear to be growing once more according to data collected by outage tracker DownDetector).

Meanwhile, Hawkins County, Tenessee and Warren, Michigan emergency services are highlighting the AT&T outage, bringing to light issues that customers may encounter when attempting to dial 911.

If you're an AT&T customer and need emergency assistance, we recommend calling from a non-AT&T line at this moment in time to avoid any further potential problems.

Have we spoken too soon? User reports on the rise again

While we presumed that the sharp decline in user-submitted outage reports to outage tracking website DownDetector indicated that the problem may be being resolved, a second peak in reports in beginning to form suggesting otherwise.

This second spike may be the result of people on the west coast of the US noticing the fault after finishing their work day, or it could mean that AT&T don't quite have this in the bag as much as we initially thought.

AT&T has yet to respond to our communications. Laptop Mag will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds.

SOS on iPhone: Is history repeating itself?

With more emergency services and police departments showing concern over people's ability to get in touch, we can't help but be reminded of a similar outage that took place in February of this year leaving iPhone users stuck on SOS service.

AT&T suffered a massive service fault that lasted over 12 hours and spread across numerous states from coast-to-coast. Now, user-submitted reports of outages within AT&T's network are once again continuing the rise at a rapid pace, could history be repeating itself? Hopefully not!

While the internet was flooded with many rumors that ranged from solar flares to aliens, many suspected February's AT&T outage to be the cause of a cyber attack.

These suspicions further grew after it was revealed that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FCC (including the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau) were personally investigating the issue. However, the fault was far more mundane.

According to AT&T, the massive service outage was caused by "The application & execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network."

February's outage reportedly blocked more than 92 million voice calls and affected over 125 million devices making use of AT&T's network.

The outage also resulted in similar disruptions to 911 numbers across the United States, which is believed to have prevented more than 25,000 attempts at contacting emergency services via call its 911.

A similar outage, though on this occasion only lasting an hour and 14 minutes, in August 2023 similarly saw AT&T fail to deliver 911 calls to emergency centers and also saw the company not notify officials of this issue.

As a result, AT&T has recently agreed to pay a $950,000 settlement and implement a three-year plan that ensures its compliance with the FCC directives on communication outages and notification rules.

Today's AT&T cellular network outage has already lasted over three hours from its initial spike in service issue reports.

Making matters worse for AT&T, user reports are still climbing, with a second peak of outage complaints now rivaling the initial flood of service complaints. Not to mention, this kind of network disruption could once again land them on the FCC's radar.

SOS on iPhone: An update on affected areas

Returning to DownDetector's heatmap of user-submitted reports of service issues within AT&T's network, we can see that issues have largely cleared from states such as Kansas and Washington.

However, service outages remain in California, Texas, and Illinois, with Colorado and Georgia now joining the list of affected areas.

SOS on iPhone AT&T outage: Some good news

To those affected by the ongoing AT&T outage, we've some good news to share. According to data collected by DownDetector, user reports of service issues within the AT&T network are once again in decline.

While we won't be so quick to call it a day this time around, things are at least heading in the right direction. For now.

SOS on iPhone: AT&T address the ongoing outage

AT&T has reportedly acknowledged the outage publicly in a statement to Northern California's KCRA 3 News, stating:

"We are working to address a software issue that may affect the ability of a limited number of our customers to connect to our wireless network. Keeping our customers connected is our highest priority, so we appreciate their patience as we work to resolve this issue."

SOS on iPhone: AT&T make statement to FOX 5

"How long will the AT&T outage last for?"

We get it. Outages like this are a terrible inconvenience, and with AT&T's now lasting over five hours from its initial sighting, we've gotten just about all the ranting and jokes off of our chest and boredom has well and truly kicked in.

Thankfully, user reports of issues within AT&T's network continues to drop, now at its lowest point since this afternoon's initial peak. If DownDetector's information holds up, we could see this outage come to an end in the next hour or two.

However, if the yo-yo'ing of service disruptions continue, then there's no telling how long the problems at AT&T could continue on for. 

SOS on iPhone: Good news once again for AT&T outage sufferers

It looks like we're through the worst of things now as user-submitted outage reports have taken a nosedive and are slowly approaching more reasonable levels.

Things should be wrapping up in the next few hours, with iPhone users freed from their SOS prisons and ready to resume regular cell service.

We'll keep an eye on things from here at Laptop Mag, and make sure to keep this page updated with any potential further developments. However, for now, all we can do is wait for AT&T to fix its reported software issues and clear this fault out entirely.