I have a weird issue with my phone with I never seemed to notice before until recently. I am not sure if this occurred since I owned a BlackBerry, but sometimes at the gym, my phone goes from 1 bar to SOS immediately once I'm in the locker room. If I move around it can change from SOS back to 1 bar again.

But when I leave the gym to make my calls home it will stay at SOS until I either turn off the radio/back on again, or wait a long time.

Any idea why the phone just goes into SOS. I thought it was a battery saving feature after leaving the phone in a low to no signal area for a long time but when I looked at my phone before placing it in my locker, it already said SOS!

It goes to SOS because of the lack of signal. No connection.

Yeah, but I've seen it have an X or other symbol for no service, iirc in the past. I never seen it use SOS for no signal. Is it implying there is enough signal to make a call to 911 if it was needed?

Only time I saw it do SOS was when I forgot to put the SIM card into the phone.

[quote=jweinraub;1613806]Yeah, but I've seen it have an X or other symbol for no service, iirc in the past. I never seen it use SOS for no signal. Is it implying there is enough signal to make a call to 911 if it was needed?

Only time I saw it do SOS was when I forgot to put the SIM card into the phone.[/QUOT


SOS means you are out of AT&T coverage but there is another carrier with a compatible GSM frequency (but does not allow roaming). In other words your SOS was probably there because of a Tmobile signal. SOS is part of the GSM standard and allows you to make an emergency 911 call even of the carrier does not have a roaming agreement.

From AT&T site:
"SOS" indicates that the device is outside of the AT&T wireless coverage area and is in an area where AT&T does not have a roaming agreement..."

Oh - so being inside a building, it is possible they have their own network -like those nextel repeaters or something?

I actually thought it was some kind of dampening device since they don't want people using a cell phone in a gym.

Thanks for answering my curiosity!

Wirelessly posted

I suspect it is just a matter of the other carrier's signal penetrating the building better than your carrier's signal. And sometimes in a situation like that you can go in and out of signal reception just moving around in the space of a few feet.