Hundreds of AT&T subscribers throughout the US are experiencing an hours-long community outage Tuesday that’s reportedly stopping them from putting or receiving calls, sending texts, or accessing the web on their iPhones.
iPhone customers started flooding AT&T’s Assist channel on X (previously Twitter) and Downdetector round 2 p.m. PT with complaints of being locked in Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc mode. Every time iPhone customers haven’t got 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 Caught in SOS Mode, This is What You Ought to Do
AT&T blamed the outage on a software program situation and stated it’s engaged on an answer.
“We’re working to deal with a software program situation which will have an effect on the power of a restricted variety of our clients to hook up with our wi-fi community,” AT&T stated in a press release. “Holding our clients linked is our highest precedence, so we admire their endurance as we work to resolve this situation.”
The SOS mode is a characteristic that Apple unveiled in 2022 that permits customers to get involved with emergency providers and share their location with them, even when they do not have mobile community service. Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc, which is obtainable on iPhone 14 and newer telephones, has been crucial for serving to individuals stranded attain emergency providers with out a telephone sign. Final yr, it helped a couple trapped of their automotive in the course of the wildfires in Maui.
Apple did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
