What is This SOS Only Message on iPhones?

Am I the only one trying to figure out why my phone is screaming "Save our Souls?"

Okay screaming is a stretch, and it's shorted down to SOS. But it's pretty worrisome to look down at your phone and see SOS. What is going on?

What Does SOS Mean On Your iPhone?

I've been at the radio station studios in Poughkeepsie since 5am this morning. In that time, I've used my phone several times for research purposes. Weather updates, local updates, and social media posts were all popping up on my phone.

No issue.

Around 6 am I noticed no bars in the service corner of my phone. Instead, there were 4 dots and the "SOS only." However, Wifi was strong.

JBuono

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!

According to Apple:

If you see SOS or "SOS only" in the status bar, your device isn't connected to your cellular network, but you can still make emergency calls through other carrier networks. .

Now, that we figured that out...

Was There A Verizon Outage in The Hudson Valley

As the morning rolled on, I learned that I wasn't alone. Many Hudson Valley residents were having phone issues and seeing SOS on their phones.

At the time of this article, 11 am Tuesday, July 30th, 2024, there were upwards of 500 reports of Verizon outages. While there hasn't been an official statement about the outage, this may be why so many Verizon iPhone customers are seeing the SOS signal.

You can follow along with outage updates on Downdetector.com.

Worst Dead Zones in the Hudson Valley

While we're on the topic of a possible Verizon outage...

We know there are always those tricky spots while we're on the road. Where if we make or take a call in that area the call is bound to drop.

Over the last few months, we've collected your complaints and tallied up some of the most popular "Cell Phone Dead Zones" below.

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Avoid the following Hudson Valley locations if you're trying to make a phone call in the future.

10 of The Worst Cell Phone Dead Zones in the Hudson Valley

Where's the worst cell phone dead zone in your neck of the woods? Let us know and we'll add it to the list, here's what we've come up with so far in the Hudson Valley in no particular order:

You'll be screaming SOS if your phone dies and you can't find a payphone. They have been steadily declining over the last few years. Where's the last place you saw a payphone?