Thanks to Signal Pro Mike Moore for inspiration for this article!
This is something you hopefully won’t ever have to know. But if you’re the sort of person who just likes knowledge for its own sake, here’s the answer.
If the top of your phone shows “SOS” instead of LTE or 5G, it means that you can only use the phone for emergency calls. Pretty much the only number you can dial is 911.
Why does this happen?
There are several reasons. None of them are as scary as you might think. For Example:
You might be outside of your service area.
If you are in an area where your cell carrier has no towers but another carrier does, you might get this message. You might have traveled outside the country or just to a place where your carrier doesn’t have complete coverage. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have a bad cell carrier, as long as it doesn’t happen a lot in places you normally go.
Your cell service may be turned off.
Hey, sometimes people miss a payment. Sometimes the card or account number on file isn’t current. I’m not here to judge. But, if you aren’t paying for cell service, at some point they will stop giving it to you. At this point your phone may show “SOS” or it may show “No Service” at top. It’s pretty easy to fix this, as long as you have the ability to pay your bill.
Your phone may be confused or broken.
Your phone is really a super-powered computer that’s so reliable that you very rarely even think about it. Sometimes, like all computers, it needs to be restarted. There are different methods on how to do this depending on your model of phone. If you’re reading this, you have internet service, so just search (or ask an AI assistant) how to restart your model of phone.
Sometimes the SIM inside the phone has gone bad. Depending on your model of phone, it may or may not be possible to replace it. Again, internet search is your friend here.
Very very rarely, there’s something that has just permanently stopped working. If that happens, call Solid Signal at 888-233-7563. We are AT&T dealers and will help you get a new phone sent to you quickly, ready to use.
Yeah, but how does this happen?
The secret to it is simple. Practically any phone out there will work with practically any carrier in the USA, Mexico, Canada, and many other countries. In past years it was very expensive to have this kind of universal phone. Today, it’s actually the cheapest way to do things. So, your AT&T phone will probably work with Verizon, T-Mobile, or any other local or pre-paid carrier. The phone is programmed to work with your carrier, but if your carrier isn’t available and another one is, the phone will use that other carrier for an emergency call only.
This article is brought to you by Solid Signal. Shop at Solid Signal for everything you need to make your digital life better. We can help you with activating your cell phone, TV service, home, business, or mobile internet too. Call the experts at Signal Connect at 888-233-7563 and we’ll take great care of you! If it’s after hours, just fill out the form below!
