Why does AT&T say SOS?
If you are one of the many AT&T’s wireless customers, then you may have realized that the ‘SOS’ icon has been appearing on your phone in the recent past. Don’t worry – this mysterious message has been received by many other AT&T subscribers as well. So what's behind it? Here are the facts that explain the peculiar meaning of the “SOS” message from AT&T.
The Backstory
In August 2022, AT&T Internet plans to introduce the new “5G+” service icon for devices connected to its mid-band 5G network. This network is even faster than the normal 5G and has greater coverage than the high-frequency millimeter wave 5G.
Some Android devices when connecting to an AT&T 5G+ mid-band network show a “5G+” icon instead of the standard “5G” icon. However, some older Android models are not able to identify this new icon. Thus, they show “SOS” where the network symbol is supposed to be seen.
This is so because the “SOS” message is a generic string that Android displays whenever the phone is incapable of rendering network icons appropriately. It is designed to let people know there is a problem with the network connection.
Just to make it clear, there is nothing wrong with the normal cell signal that you might receive. Your device is just showing “SOS” because it doesn’t recognize the new 5G+ symbol.
Which Phones Are Affected?
This “SOS” glitch is only evident on some Android models that are now considered outdated. The latest reports suggest that it mostly impacts the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S10 devices used in the AT&T network. But it has been reported to happen on a couple of other Android gadgets as well.
Thus, if you have a modern Android smartphone, especially a branded one as ‘5G-supporting’, you have little chance to experience this issue. It is primarily impacting devices that are two to three years old, some of which do not support certain newer network standards.
Should You Be Concerned?
Although it may appear as an alarming sign, the SOS symbol is only an optical illusion – the distress signal is not real. Cellular signal and all other wireless attributes are not affected at all.
It has been established by AT&T that this is not a network problem but a device compatibility one. This means that Android users on their network who are reporting the “SOS” problem will not have to worry about connectivity or safety.
This means that you can make calls, send texts, and utilize the data without any interference being made to your phone. The only issue is it's not being correctly represented on your phone in the form of a 5G+ icon.
As a rule, the visual bug can be eliminated by tapping the airplane mode on and off for a few seconds at least. These actions cause your phone to reconnect to the network which may help remove the placeholder “SOS” text.
Long-Term Solutions
To permanently resolve this nuisance issue, your best bet is to update your Android phone: To permanently resolve this nuisance issue, your best bet is updating your Android phone:
• Ensure that you update your device to the latest available operating system if there is any. Usually, significant updates of the Android operating system consist of new emojis and symbol packages that are required to render icons such as 5G+.
• Verify if your phone manufacturer has provided a firmware update to address this 5G+ icon issue on AT&T phones. There are already brands that have started releasing patches.
• Finally, getting a newer Android phone compatible with 5G networks will prevent such issues from happening. The latest models are completely aware of contemporary network protocols.
Although the “SOS” message is meaningless, it is nonetheless visually disruptive and alarming. They may replace the existing Placebo texts with proper 5G+ status icons right after a simple software update or an upgrade in their devices.
The Bottom Line
Do not be alarmed should you find “SOS” instead of the network icon on your AT&T Android phone. That is just because your older device does not support the new 5G+ symbol at all! Your actual cell signal and connectivity are not affected at all.
Although non-threatening, the text’s message is still unwelcome and deceptive. The icon problem can be resolved by getting updates from your manufacturer or getting a new Android phone. Then you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor as your phone will now show its true network status correctly!
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