1000’s of AT&T subscribers throughout the US are experiencing an hours-long community outage Tuesday that’s reportedly stopping them from inserting or receiving calls, sending texts, or accessing the web on their iPhones.
iPhone customers started flooding AT&T’s Help channel on X (previously Twitter) and Downdetector round 2 p.m. PT with complaints of being locked in Emergency SOS via Satellite mode. Each time iPhone customers do not have mobile service or Wi-Fi, they’re going to see an SOS within the nook of their iPhone, indicating that they’ll use Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc to get emergency assist.
Learn extra: If Your iPhone Is Stuck in SOS Mode, Here’s What You Should Do
AT&T blamed the outage on a software program difficulty and mentioned it’s engaged on an answer.
“We’re working to handle a software program difficulty which will have an effect on the flexibility of a restricted variety of our prospects to connect with our wi-fi community,” AT&T mentioned in a press release. “Conserving our prospects linked is our highest precedence, so we recognize their endurance as we work to resolve this difficulty.”
The SOS mode is a characteristic that Apple unveiled in 2022 that permits customers to get involved with emergency companies and share their location with them, even when they do not have mobile community service. Emergency SOS via Satellite, which is out there on iPhone 14 and newer telephones, has been vital for serving to individuals stranded attain emergency companies and not using a telephone sign. Final yr, it helped a couple trapped in their car during the wildfires in Maui.
Apple did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
