Is your iPhone in ‘SOS' mode? Here's what that means for your service amid nationwide outage

According to Apple, when 'SOS' appears in your iPhone status bar, it means a cellular network is available for emergency calls

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If you were having trouble calling or sending out a text Thursday, you are not alone.

AT&T's network was impacted by a nationwide cellular outage Thursday morning, that impacted thousands of wireless customers across the U.S., according to the outage tracking site Downdetector.

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"Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning," AT&T said in a statement to NBC News. "We are working urgently to restore service to them."

It’s unclear how many customers have been affected or what led to the service disruption, but at this time the company is urging users to connect to Wi-Fi to access communications.

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If you have an iPhone, you may have noticed 'SOS' in the status bar.

This is Apple's service option on the iPhone 14 or later models when there is an outage like the one experienced Thursday or when cell service is unavailable.

According to Apple, when 'SOS' appears in your iPhone status bar, it means a cellular network is available for emergency calls.

When you make a call with SOS, your iPhone automatically calls the local emergency number and shares your location information with emergency services.

After an emergency call ends, your iPhone alerts your emergency contacts with a text message, and sends your current location.

And after you enter SOS mode, your emergency contacts receive updates when your location changes.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon customers began reporting issues with their services around 3 a.m. ET Thursday. There also appeared to be network issues Cricket, Consumer Cellular, Boost Mobile and other regional services, according to Downdetector.

However, a spokesman for Verizon told NBC News that they don't see any issues on their network and believes the problem is with other carriers. Verizon customers are only having issues when trying to call a number that is associated with one of the impacted carriers.

T-Mobile also said their networks were operating "normally," and explained the outages reported in Downdetector is likely "reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks."

"We are currently aware that many of our residents may have been impacted by the widespread cellular outage," said Miami-Dade Police in a statement. "The 911 system is working and there are no issues. Most cell phones can make outgoing 911 calls independently of interruption of service. However, in the event you need to call 911 and are unable to do so via your cellular service, it’s recommended that you connect to a Wi-Fi network, enable Wi-Fi Calling on your device, and update your emergency address."

The Broward Sheriff's Office also issued a statement, saying they are not experiencing any significant operational impacts and is monitoring the outage.

If AT&T customers are having difficulty contacting 911 or BSO’s non-emergency number, officials urge callers to connect to Wi-Fi, use a landline or use the cellphone of an individual who has a different carrier.

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