Sulfites and bisulfites are widely used in textile printing and dyeing, pulp and paper making, food, and healthcare, which causes the enrichment of sulfite ions (SO32?) and bisulfite ions (HSO3?) in the environment. Meanwhile, endogenous sulfur dioxide (SO2) can easily merge with water and transform into SO32?/HSO3? under physiological conditions. SO32?/HSO3? can replace the biological function of SO2, and the abnormal levels can lead to a series of physiological diseases. Therefore, the detection of environmental and endogenous SO32?/HSO3? content is particularly important. Based on the reaction mechanisms such as aldehyde nucleophilic addition, Michael addition, double bond addition, and deprotection, researchers have designed and synthesized a large number of SO32?/HSO3? fluorescent probes. This article summarizes the research progress of SO32?/HSO3? fluorescent probes. Firstly, the design strategy, sensing performance, detection mechanism, and application of probes are discussed in detail from multiple aspects, such as response time, detection limit, probe type, and detection environment. The performance data of different fluorescent probes are visually compared, and meanwhile, the differences in the structures of fluorescent probes are summarized as the reasons for the differences in their detection results for SO32?/HSO3?. Then, the mechanism of reaction, design principles, and performance optimization techniques of SO32?/HSO3? probes are deeply explored. Finally, the future design direction of SO32?/HSO3? fluorescent probes are looked forward to: the fluorescent probes with high sensitivity, high selectivity, and fast response characteristics, multifunctional fluorescent probes that can adapt to the complexity requirements of detection environments and simultaneously detect multiple ions or biomolecules, and the fluorescent probes that combine with artificial intelligence technology to achieve automated and intelligent detection and analysis.