“SOS” on an iPhone 14 means one of two things, and the fix is different for each:
- SOS in the status bar (top-right corner, where the signal bars normally are) means your iPhone isn’t connected to your carrier’s network. You can’t switch it off in Settings. It goes away once the phone reconnects, which usually takes turning Airplane Mode on and off or a restart.
- Emergency SOS calls are the button shortcuts that call emergency services. To stop accidental calls, go to Settings > Emergency SOS and turn off Call with Hold and Release, Call with 5 Button Presses and, if you want, Call After Severe Crash.
These steps are the same on the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, and on newer models running iOS 26. You can always still call emergency services manually after turning the shortcuts off.
How to get rid of SOS in the status bar
Apple says that when you see SOS or SOS only in the status bar, your iPhone isn’t connected to your cellular network, but it can still make emergency calls through other carriers’ networks. This indicator appears in the US, Canada and Australia. Work through these fixes in order and check the status bar after each one.
- Open Control Center or Settings and turn on Airplane Mode.
- Wait at least 15 seconds, then turn Airplane Mode off.
- If SOS is still there, restart your iPhone: press and hold the side button and either volume button, drag the power-off slider, then press the side button again after 30 seconds to turn it back on.
- Go to Settings > Cellular and make sure Cellular Data is on and your line is turned on. If you have two lines (Dual SIM), check both.
- Go to Settings > General > About and wait a few seconds. If a carrier settings update is available, a message appears; tap Update.
- Update iOS in Settings > General > Software Update.
- If nothing works, contact your carrier to check for an outage in your area and confirm your account and SIM or eSIM are active.
Traveling abroad? SOS often appears because Data Roaming is off. Here’s how to turn on roaming on your iPhone. If you recently switched phones or carriers, a line that didn’t finish moving is another common cause; see our guide to transferring an eSIM to a new iPhone.
Apple’s full checklist is in If you see SOS, No Service, or Searching on your iPhone.
How to turn off Emergency SOS calls on iPhone 14
Turn these off if your iPhone keeps starting an emergency countdown in your pocket or bag.
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Emergency SOS.
- Turn off Call with Hold and Release. Holding the side and volume buttons will no longer start an automatic call.
- Turn off Call with 5 Button Presses. Pressing the side button quickly five times will no longer start a call.
The switches take effect immediately; there’s nothing to save. In India, the rapid-press shortcut uses three presses instead of five.
What still works after you turn them off
Holding the side button and either volume button still brings up the Emergency Call slider, so you can drag it to call for help. You can also dial the emergency number from the Phone app or from Emergency on the passcode screen. Our guide to calling 911 from any iPhone covers every method.
Should you turn off Crash Detection?
Every iPhone 14 and later model has Crash Detection. If it senses a severe car crash, it sounds an alarm and shows an alert. If you don’t respond, it starts a 30-second countdown and then calls emergency services. It’s worth keeping on if you drive, because it can get help when you can’t call yourself.
If it keeps triggering during activities like roller coasters or off-road sports, you can switch it off:
- Open Settings > Emergency SOS.
- Turn off Call After Severe Crash.
Note: If you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or later, it has its own Crash Detection setting. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch > Emergency SOS, and turn off Call After Severe Crash there too. Apple explains both in its Crash Detection guide.
Other Emergency SOS settings you may want to change
| Setting | What it does | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Call Quietly | Removes the siren and flashes during the countdown | Turn it on if the loud countdown alarm is what bothers you |
| Call After Severe Crash | Lets Crash Detection call for help after a severe crash | Turn it off only if you get false alerts during sports or rides |
| Emergency contacts | People who get a text with your location after an SOS call | Add or remove them in the Health app’s Medical ID |
If you’d like your emergency contacts to be alerted after an SOS call, make sure you’ve set up an emergency contact.
What to do if you call emergency services by accident
If the countdown starts by mistake, let go of the buttons and tap Cancel or Stop on the screen before it reaches zero. If the call already went through, don’t hang up. Stay on the line and tell the dispatcher it was an accident and that you’re safe. Otherwise, they may try to call you back or send someone to check.
After any Emergency SOS call, you’ll need to enter your passcode before Face ID works again.
Can you turn off Emergency SOS via satellite?
There’s no separate switch for it. The iPhone 14’s satellite feature is offered when you try to reach emergency services with no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, so it doesn’t run in the background on a normal day. It also isn’t the cause of the SOS in your status bar, which only means your iPhone can’t reach your carrier.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.