Retired Employee
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5.9K Messages
Activating iPhones in SOS Mode
We’re aware some customers are having difficulty activating or using their new iPhone 14, iPhone 13, or iPhone SE 3rd generation. If you have one of these devices and you’re seeing “SOS” in the status bar on your device, you may need to set up your eSIM to get your device to function properly. To do so, follow these steps:
- Ensure your device has been activated.
- If you’re activating a new iPhone 13, 14 or SE (third generation), you should have received a push notification titled “Carrier Cellular Plan Ready to Be Installed” once the activation completed.
- If you haven’t received this push notification, it may mean that the activation hasn’t finished yet. Normally it takes approximately 10 minutes to receive the push notification but may take as long as 30 minutes.
- If you didn’t receive or don’t recall receiving this push notification, you can try to install the Carrier Cellular Plan manually, using the following steps.
- If you’re activating a new iPhone 13, 14 or SE (third generation), you should have received a push notification titled “Carrier Cellular Plan Ready to Be Installed” once the activation completed.
- Install the Carrier Cellular Plan manually:
- On your device, go to Settings and tap “Carrier Cellular Plan Ready to be Installed”.
- Then click “Continue” (at the bottom of the screen); the eSIM should now download and install.
- Once the eSIM is installed, you’ll need to reset the Network Settings on your device.
- Reset the Network Settings:
- On your device, go to Settings, then General, then Transfer or Reset Device, then Reset, and finally Reset Network Settings.
- Once you reset the network setting, you’ll need to restart your device.
- Restart your device by turning if off and then on.
- Your device should start up in roughly five minutes.
In most cases, performing the steps as outlined above will force your device to exit SOS mode and begin functioning normally. If this doesn’t work, please perform the steps above one more time.
If these steps still don’t activate your device, it may be due to some other issue. For assistance, please reach out to our Xfinity Mobile team directly by chatting with us at comca.st/3hxnpaZ or texting or calling (888) 936-4968. (Due to account security concerns, we’re unable to perform any device or account specific requests here.)
You can also find more information on eSIM, including setting up an eSIM on iPhone, in Apple Support at About eSIM on iPhone.
X_user1090f1
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
The issue I'm having is that my phone has been in the activation process for over a week, so there isn't an option for "Carrier cellular plan ready to be installed." despite the SOS. I was told that I'd be reached out to if there were any issues found, but I haven't received anything about there being an issue. I'm switching from Cricket (which I've read should only be around 72 hours to activate at most), so why is this taking so long? Any help would be appreciated.
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user_62c7e9
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
My phone was working and got kicked into SOS mode for some reason.
Someone asked me to remove the eSim and I have not been able to get it back yet.
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MarkZ7
Visitor
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6 Messages
2 years ago
I've been trying to activate for four days. So far at least five agents have been unhelpful. Come on Xfinity!
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user_7a4e14
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
Pretty much the same as the others. Comcast support says it will take up to 7 days... umm no. THey are wrong.
I have a 12 Max Pro, not the ones listed, but it is in SOS mode. I am on hold right now for the 4th or 5th call have put in. Its been 7days.
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user_73acae
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
[Edited: "Language"]! Im about ready to go to another provider!!!!!
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super56k
Visitor
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10 Messages
2 years ago
I wish this method worked for everyone, but there are some significant issues in the backend of the system for accounts like mine and others that we cannot see or resolve ourselves.
I'm being held hostage since Friday 9/16. I have a brand new iphone 14 purchased directly through XM that doesn't activate and they say I can't return it. I've not had working service through nearly this entire nine day span. The mobile support people I call end up randomly making changes to see if it works, and then make vague promises of it fixing itself within hours or days just to get me off the line. Multiple times now they've made changes that messed up my account worse than when the call session started. It's infuriating.
Browsing these forums in the last week I've kind of learned the cycle of support pain Xfinity Mobile puts people through:
- Here in these forums they say you need to contact the experts at XM support to get an issue resolved.
- XM text support says I gotta go to the store because only they can activate these iPhones to bypass the SOS no signal issue.
- I go to the store and they have no such tools and have to call in to phone support for help.
- I call in to phone support myself and they just dead-end me after a few hours of hold times and random troubleshooting that doesn't fix anything, then lie about doing a callback/continuation of support that never happens just to get me off the line.
- And then the next morning I wake up and realize I have to start over with support again if I want any kind of resolution to this nightmare.
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Mrdontplay6500
Visitor
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2 Messages
2 years ago
My phone has been off two days and xfinity can’t help sadly
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user_145ca9
Visitor
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2 Messages
2 years ago
This is all a bunch of [Edited: "Language"]
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user_b93a52
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
My Xfinity iPhone 14 Pro Max was activated and working but the camera didn’t work. The Apple Store gave me a new phone but they couldn’t get it activated and sent me back to the Xfinity Store. After five hours at the store they managed to finally get my phone number off my old phone (which I then had to give back to Apple because they gave me the new one). The new phone still isn’t activated (12 hours later). There is supposedly a Tier 3 work order but they have no idea of timing. When I tried to follow up to see that it was actually being worked on I was just on hold for hours. The Xfinity Store blames Apple but my friends with other carriers are not having a problem. The store says it is out of their hands, you can’t get anyone on the phone to help. I run a business off my phone, I am essentially out of business for the unforeseeable future. With no help in sight whatsoever.
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Leave-x
Visitor
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5 Messages
2 years ago
I’ve had this issue as well. I’ve spent about 25 hours trying to get this resolved - I spoke to Xfinity employees via chat, phone (tier1, tier2 and tier3). I was given a confirmation number on Monday and told that my phone wouldn’t be in SOS mode within a day. I called back the next day for an update, waited for 3 hours (apparently tier 1 and tier2 representatives don’t have access to the same system as tier3 representatives, but it took 2 hours to get hold of tied3). Then I was told it would take another 2 days for this to be resolved. It’s now 8 days since I reported the issue. I’m not wasting my time speaking to poorly trained and ill-equipped customer service agents - will be returning my phone and switching back to Verizon where the wait time is 3 minutes and the agents actually have a clue of what’s going on. PEACE OUT forever Xfinity!
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user_468af0
Visitor
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7 Messages
2 years ago
This issue isn't going to be fixed anytime soon. I've been waiting almost a week and have spent countless hours on the phone, in the store and driving around (which ain't cheap). I agree with all these people that this has been an awful experience. Leaving Xfinity mobile today and haven't even been a customer for a week (and NO service).
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jjsimonjr
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
For those of you having issues activating your new iPhone, follow these steps:
Go to https://www.xfinitymobile.com/activate
Login to your account, then click on the device you are transferring from.
Click on Replace Your Device.
Click Bring Your Own.
Click iPhone, then click Next.
Enter your 15-digit IMEI, then click Next.
Follow the prompts to migrate your SIM to the eSIM.
Takes approximately 5 minutes to activate.
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nursebetty1969
New Poster
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3 Messages
2 years ago
There is absolutely no accountability with xfinity and their customer service. I am having the same issue of trying to activate in SOS mode. I have done all of the above. I spent 3.5 hours yesterday and over an hour today. The "senior" rep I spoke to last night was supposed to call me at 10am. It is now 1pm and no call. So I called, I waited on hold, was transferred, another 30 minutes on hold, spoke briefly with a rep who then promptly hung up on me. Now I am back on the hold loop and nobody is helping me. My phone worked perfectly before I transferred to xfinity mobile. Now the activation process has rendered the phone useless and nobody will help me fix it.
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user_817df8
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
Is it better to transfer data and apps directly from iPhone to iPhone or download from iCloud?
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Schaf71
Visitor
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1 Message
2 years ago
We have been loyal Xfinity customers for years and use them for mobile phones, cable TV, and internet. We bought our daughter an iPhone 14 - it has been a nightmare for the past 2 weeks. We had this same SOS issue. We have spent over 40 hours in stores, on chats, on the phone. We have been escalated to several tiers, several times - we have eventually been told to return the phone. We are waiting on that and cannot get a new phone until that is received.
Much like many other people on this post, I and my family of 5 are considering switching our service for all these things over the way we have been treated throughout this.
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