Some customers are reporting an outage at AT&T on Tuesday. Some say their phones were stuck in SOS mode for several hours and had no access to service.
Shortly after 4 p.m. ET, reports of possible AT&T service disruptions began to spike on the Downdetector website. By 6:46 p.m. ET, 5,800 reports had been received, with more reports pouring in Tuesday evening.
“We are working as quickly as possible to resolve a software issue that may be disrupting some of our customers’ connection to our wireless network,” an AT&T spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Keeping our customers connected is our highest priority, so we thank you for your patience while we work to resolve this issue.”
The problem appears to affect wireless customers in the Midwest and East, the spokesman said.
What does SOS mode mean on your phone?
AT&T customers who may experience an outage on Tuesday may see an SOS icon on iPhone users’ screens in the same place where cellular connectivity bars normally appear.
USA TODAY previously reported that the SOS icon can appear in the status bar of iPhones and iPads, meaning the devices are not connected to a cellular network. It also means that a cellular network is “available for emergency calls,” Apple’s support website says.
The SOS feature is available on iPhones and iPads in the US, Australia and Canada.
“When you make an SOS call, iPhone automatically dials the local emergency number and shares your location information with emergency services,” Apple says. “In some countries and regions, you may need to choose the service you want to use.”
After you make an emergency call, your iPhone notifies all emergency contacts listed in your phone.
Apple says all iPhone models 14 and above can also use Emergency SOS via satellite to send a text message to emergency services when cellular and Wi-Fi reception is unavailable.
