AT&T outage in Michigan: Why your phone is in SOS mode, how to contact emergency services
Early Thursday morning, tens of thousands of AT&T customers across the country lost access to their cell services – including in Michigan.
As frustrating as it might be to not get a cell signal, the biggest concern customers are facing is their lack of access to essential and emergency services, including emergency 911 calls and Text-to-911 services.
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Here's what local agencies say to do if you need to contact emergency services during the nationwide cellphone outage.
How to contact emergency services with no signal
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office recommends that, in the event of an emergency, individuals keep attempting to contact their local 911 center even if they receive no signal on their first try. The Sheriff's Office says that the outage on cellular signal is intermittent, so even if the first call doesn't go through, a future attempt might.
The Sheriff's Office also suggests turning on your Wi-fi calling feature as that may help the call go through.
More: Is AT&T down? Outages, SOS mode reported by thousands of phone users
Why is my phone in SOS mode?
Some AT&T customers with iPhones may have seen an SOS symbol in the top right corner of their phone screen where the Wi-fi and service bars normally are. According to Apple's support website, this symbol indicates that a cellular network is available to make emergency calls.
You can quickly make a call with SOS by holding the power button and volume button of your iPhone. Your screen will darken and the option to "swipe to call emergency services" will pop up. When you make a call with SOS, your phone automatically calls the local emergency number and shares your location with emergency services.
Apple's support website says on iPhone models 14 or later, you can use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when no cellular or Wi-fi coverage is available.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: AT&T outage in Michigan: Why your phone is in SOS mode
