In short, when you see SOS on your phone, it means you're not connected to a cellular network. "If you see SOS or 'SOS only' in the status bar, your device isn't connected to your cellular network, but you can still make emergency calls through other carrier networks," reads an Apple support page on the feature.

Verizon outages today, Wednesday, Jan. 14, hit the U.S. with customers reporting "SOS" mode on their phones, Fios outages, home internet and Wi-Fi outages and other Verizon service issues. In an update on X today, Verizon said it is "working on the issue."

When iPhones aren’t connected to a cellular network, they will typically alert the user by giving an indication in the phone’s status bar. Those notifications usually say “No Service” or “Searching,” but your phone may also say “SOS” or “SOS only.”

If you see "SOS" or "SOS only" in your iPhone's status bar, your device is not connected to your carrier network, according to Apple. Your phone will attempt to route any emergency calls through other carrier networks, if available.

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile customers nationwide reported problems with their phone service Wednesday. Here's what we know.

The Federal Communications Commission revised a long-standing rule that required Verizon Communications to unlock ​its mobile phones 60 days after activation, which it said ‌is costing the telecommunications company hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to fraud.