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    • Does the phone show SOS mode? T-Mobile’s network is experiencing an outage
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    Does the phone show SOS mode? T-Mobile’s network is experiencing an outage

    Online Niel Posted on

    If your phone displays a SOS messageyou are not alone. Recent reports show what appear to be sporadic outages on T-Mobile and its subsequent networks, mostly centered in Utah.

    Over 19,000 users outages reported at the peak on DownDetector.comwhich tracks network outages through user-submitted reports. There have been major reports in California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Illinois, New York and Florida in the past 24 hours.

    More recent reports seem to be centered around Utah, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Lehi, South Jordan, Orem, West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy seeing the most reports.

    Reports started coming in around 12:47 p.m. Most users report no phone signal, but there have been some reports of mobile internet issues.

    T-Mobile has not acknowledged any outages in its network.

    Anyone experiencing network issues should enable Wi-Fi calling to continue receiving calls and messages in the meantime.

    If you’re wondering if your phone is affected by the outage or if it’s just you, here are some steps to check.

    My iPhone only shows SOS or SOS

    When iPhones are not connected to a cellular network, they will usually alert the user by providing an indication in the phone’s status bar. These notifications usually say “No Service” or “Searching,” but your phone may also say “SOS” or “SOS Only.”

    When the phone enters SOS mode, it can still make emergency calls. When you make an emergency call with iPhone, it automatically calls your local emergency number and shares your location information with emergency services.

    Additionally, you can add emergency contacts under your phone’s medical identification options in settings. Adding an emergency contact will alert them with a text message to your location after an emergency call ends.

    How to get your phone out of SOS mode

    In many cases, if your phone is in SOS mode, external circumstances beyond your control could be responsible. However, there are some troubleshooting steps you can take on your end:

    • Make sure you are in an area with cellular network coverage
    • Turn your cellular data off and then on:
      • Go to settings
      • Turn cellular or mobile data off and then back on
    • If you’re traveling abroad, make sure your phone is set up for data roaming:
      • Go to settings
      • Tap mobile
      • Cellular data options
      • Switch data roaming
    • Try restarting your device
    • Check your carrier settings for an update
      • Make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network
      • Open Settings and navigate to General > About. If an update is available, you’ll see it here
    • Turn off and on the mobile line
      • Open the settings
      • Tap Cellular and see if your cellular line is activated
      • Don’t see a cell line in settings? Set up an eSim or reinsert your physical SIM card
    • Reset network settings
      • Open the settings
      • Tap General > Transfer or Reset (Device) > Reset > Reset network settings
      • Note: This will reset your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, VPN and APN settings that you are using before
    • Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS
      • Plug your device into power and connect to Wi-Fi
      • Go to Settings > General and then tap “Software Update”
      • Choose the update you want to install
    • Contact your mobile operator
      • If all else fails, contact your carrier to see if there are outages in your area, make sure your account is active and in good standing, and make sure your device isn’t blocked from receiving cellular service

    How SOS works on iPhone

    Making an SOS call on an iPhone 8 or newer is an easy, two-step process:

    • Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons (either works) until the Emergency SOS slider appears.
    • Drag the Emergency Call slider to call emergency services.

    If you keep holding down the side and volume buttons but don’t make an SOS call, a countdown will start and an alert will sound. Releasing the buttons after the countdown will automatically call emergency services.

    Making SOS calls on iPhone 7 or earlier is just as easy:

    • If you quickly press the side or top button five times, the Emergency Call slider will appear.
    • Drag the SOS slider to call emergency services.

    How to end an SOS call you accidentally made

    You can easily cancel an SOS call that you accidentally started, even after the countdown starts. To do this on an iPhone 8 or later, release the side button and volume button before the countdown ends. To stop an SOS call on an iPhone 7 or earlier, press the stop button and then tap Stop Calling.

    If the call starts, don’t hang up. Simply wait for an answer and explain that you made the call by mistake. Otherwise, the dispatcher may send responders to your phone location.

    How to add emergency contacts

    Here’s how to add emergency contacts to iPhone:

    • Open the Health app and tap your profile picture
    • Open Medical ID
    • Tap Edit, then scroll to emergency contacts
    • Tap the add button
    • Tap a contact and add their relationship
    • Tap done to save your settings

    How to remove emergency contacts

    Here’s how to remove emergency contacts:

    • Open the Health app and tap your profile picture
    • Open Medical ID
    • Tap Edit, then scroll to emergency contacts
    • Tap the delete button next to a contact
    • Tap done to save your settings

    How to enable Wi-Fi calling

    Here’s how to enable Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone:

    • Navigate to settings
    • Tap Phone
    • Then tap Wi-Fi Calling

    You may need to enter or confirm your address for emergency services, according to Apple.

    Once Wi-Fi calling is available, you’ll see “Wi-Fi” in the status bar while viewing the Control Center.

    When cellular service is available, your iPhone uses it for emergency calls. If you turn on Wi-Fi Calling and cellular service is not available, emergency calls may use Wi-Fi calling.

    Online Niel
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