“SOS” on an iPhone means two different things. If you want to stop accidental emergency calls, go to Settings > Emergency SOS and turn off Call with Hold and Release and Call with 5 Presses. If “SOS” shows in the top corner of your screen, your iPhone has lost its cellular connection, and you fix it by reconnecting, not by changing a setting.
Pick the section below that matches what you’re seeing.
In this guide:
- Turn off Emergency SOS shortcuts
- What happens after an SOS call
- Get rid of SOS in the status bar
- FAQs
How to Turn Off Emergency SOS Shortcuts
These steps follow Apple’s Emergency SOS guide.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Emergency SOS.
- Turn off Call with Hold and Release. This stops the countdown when you hold the side button and a volume button.
- Turn off Call with 5 Presses. This stops the countdown when you press the side button five times quickly.
You can still call emergency services the normal way. On the Passcode screen, tap Emergency and dial the number, such as 911 in the U.S.
Result: Pressing the side and volume buttons, or pressing the side button quickly, no longer starts an emergency countdown.
What Happens After an Emergency SOS Call
Per Apple’s Emergency SOS guide, after an emergency call ends your iPhone texts your emergency contacts unless you cancel. It shares your current location if available, and for a while after you enter SOS mode, your contacts get updates when your location changes.
You manage those contacts in the Health app: tap Set Up Emergency Contacts or Edit Emergency Contacts, which are part of your Medical ID.
Apple also notes that in India the shortcut works differently: pressing the side button three times starts Emergency SOS.
Result: You know who gets notified and can update your contacts before you ever need them.
How to Get Rid of “SOS” in the Status Bar
Apple explains that “SOS” or “SOS only” means your iPhone isn’t connected to your carrier, but it can still make emergency calls through other networks. Apple says this is available in Australia, Canada, and the United States. To get your normal signal back:
- Open Settings, turn on Airplane Mode, wait at least 15 seconds, and turn it off.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Check for an update: go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Check for a carrier settings update: connect to Wi-Fi, then go to Settings > General > About. If an update is ready, you’ll see a prompt.
- If you have more than one line, go to Settings > Cellular and make sure the line is turned on.
- If nothing works, contact your carrier. Apple notes there may be an outage, or your account or SIM may need attention.
For SIM and eSIM checks, travel settings and when to reset network settings, see how to get an iPhone out of SOS mode.
Result: Once your iPhone reconnects to your carrier, SOS disappears and your normal signal bars come back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off the SOS shortcuts stop me from calling 911?
No. You can still dial emergency services from the Phone app or the Emergency button on the Passcode screen.
What if I start an emergency call by accident?
Apple says not to hang up. Wait for a responder to answer and explain that you don’t need help.
How do I turn off emergency alerts?
Emergency alerts are a different setting. Go to Settings > Notifications, scroll to Government Alerts at the bottom, and turn Emergency Alerts on or off. To silence other calls and alerts, see where to find Do Not Disturb.
Want Apple’s official manual? See how to get the iPhone User Guide.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.