When your phone displays "SOS" or "SOS Only," it means your device is not connected to your usual cellular network but can still make emergency calls. This status indicates that while normal calls, texts, and data services are unavailable, you can still contact emergency services like 911 (or the equivalent emergency number in your country) using another available carrier's network

. Specifically on an iPhone:

• "SOS" or "SOS Only" appears when your carrier is out of range, but your phone can connect to a different carrier's network solely for emergency calls

• It is different from "No Service" or "Searching," which means no cellular networks are currently available at all

• You can also activate Emergency SOS features manually to call emergency services quickly by pressing certain buttons

• After an emergency call, your iPhone can notify your emergency contacts with your location

• On newer iPhones (iPhone 14 and later), if no cellular network is available, Emergency SOS via satellite can be used to contact emergency services

For Samsung phones, the SOS feature allows you to send an emergency alert with your location, photos, and audio to your emergency contacts by pressing the power button multiple times

. In summary, seeing "SOS" on your phone means you have limited connectivity restricted to emergency calls only, ensuring you can still reach help even if your normal cellular network is unavailable