Verizon’s network outage – here’s everything we know so far including service restoration

If you’re on Verizon in the United States and encountered dropped calls or slower service on September 30, 2024, you’re not alone. Dozens of reports on Down Detector and customers posting to Threads and X (formerly known as Twitter) at around 10 AM ET.

All of this indicated that Verizon was having network problems, and the carrier confirmed this, noting that its engineers were looking into it and it took over nine hours to fully fix it (see the full statement below).

Impacted Verizon customers could not make calls, send text messages, or use data. Some customers with an iPhone began seeing SOS or SOS only in place of cellular status bars, which signifies that the device can’t connect to a network. AT&T and T-Mobile both issued statements that their networks were normal. Folks on those carriers trying to reach Verizon customers couldn’t get through and were worried their network was having an outage.

While at 5PM ET, Verizon did note it had begun to restore its impacted network, the carrier didn’t declare a full restoration of services until 7:18PM ET. In full, Verizon said, “Verizon engineers have fully restored today's network disruption that impacted some customers. Service has returned to normal levels.  If you are still having issues, we recommend restarting your device. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience.  We appreciate your patience.”

That network restoration came almost nine and half hours after the issues were first reported, which puts it slightly less in length compared to AT&T’s equally massive outage from earlier in 2024 . Since Verizon’s latest statements reported outages on Down Detector as well as customers posting on social media have begun to decrease.

Ahead, you can read the live blog – which is still being updated as of 7:40PM ET – for the latest updates and to read back to when we first started reporting on Verizon’s massive outage on September 30, 2024. And as Verizon wrote, if you’re still having network issues they say to restart it and then we’d add to try resetting Network settings as that can sometimes clear some issues.

Wecome, we're here to report on this ongoing Verizon outage. According to Down Detector, there has been a spike of outage reports since 10AM ET.

Verizon customers have been taking to social platform Threads to ask if it's just them experiencing network issues and expressing frustration. Down Detector's outage map shows New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta, and Kansas as the areas with the most reported issues, with Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Fransisco following behind.

Some users note that cellular service reception indicators – aka the bars at the top of a smartphone screen – have disappeared in favor of SOS and a satellite symbol.

Post by @buhligjennifer View on Threads

Post by @markwalzjr View on Threads

Since reports of the outage first began appearing in the 9AM ET hour, there have been over 105,000 reports of an outage on Down Detector for Verizon, and that appears to be increasing as well.

Folks note that they cannot dial out or have no network, which results in the SOS icon appearing to replace network bars on a newer iPhone. With this feature, the iPhone can connect to a satellite to help send messages or make calls. It was originally used for Emergency SOS via Satellite but now also functions for Messages via Satellite.

Like the massive AT&T network outage earlier in 2024 , while the reports first started with Verizon, Down Detector is now showing an increase in reports for AT&T and T-Mobile. It's important to remember that these might not be issues with these carriers specifically but rather that you're dialing a number connected to Verizon's network. Even so, we've reached out to both AT&T and T-Mobile to ask about any network disruptions this morning.

Verizon responds to the network outage

Verizon has just responded to us, saying, "We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue."

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the issue can be found and fixed quickly, as it's been ongoing for several hours in a few regions. Verizon has also shared the same statement on its social channels.

Verizon customers impacted by the outage are still posting about the experience on Threads and X but are now using the tags "VerizonDown" or "VerizonOutage." Some even include the phrase, "Can you hear me now?" as a nod to the carrier's old advertisements.

Post by @michhawaii0 View on Threads

Post by @cool.nerd.23 View on Threads

If you have an iPhone and Verizon but are currently seeing SOS or SOS Only in the top status bar on your device, your phone cannot connect to your carrier's cellular network. That lines up with the Verizon outage today if you're a customer, but your iPhone within the United States, Australia, and Canada can still make emergency calls.

Apple has a support document all about SOS or SOS Only appearing on your iPhone, but there isn't much to do aside from waiting for Verizon to fix the issue. You can try restarting your iPhone, or turning on Airplane mode for about 15 seconds to see if it resolves the issue.

If you're just joining us, here's a quick TLDR on what's going on with Verizon this AM. The United States based wireless carrier is currently experiencing a nationwide outage impacting folks all over the country. It's reported that impacted customers cannot make or receive calls and have zero access to data. Some with iPhone's are seeing SOS or SOS Only appear in the top status bar in place of network reception bars, meaning that phone cannot connect to the cellular network.

While outage reports began hours again in the 9AM ET hour, Verizon issued a response shortly after 11:50AM ET, noting that its aware of a service issue and is working fast to "identify and solve" it.

"VerizonDown" and "VerizonOutage" are trending on Threads and X, as impacted users share there frustrations and expereinces.

While reported outages on Down Detector for Verizon spiked to over 105,000 at 11:37AM ET, it appears that nearly an hour later, outage reports are dwindling on the site. It currently shows over 70,000 outage reports and a similar heat map for impacted areas across the United States.

Many affected customers are still posting to Threads and X, though. Some note that due to the outage, 2FA – or two–factor authentication – is failing as codes cannot be received. Similarly, others note they can't make calls and haven't been receiving calls.

AT&T says its network is just fine

AT&T just posted on X (formerly Twitter) that its network is operating just fine, noting that the spike we posted about on Down Detector of reported outages is "likely reflecting challenges our customers are having attempting to connect to users on another network." This means the issue is on Verizon's end, not AT&T's. You can see the full statement above.

T-Mobile has yet to release a comment, but Down Detector still shows a spike in reported outages for them as well.

Considering the largest spark in reported outages on Verizon via Down Detector occurred at 10AM ET, we're now about three hours into this outage. Reports peaked at over 105,000 but have since slowed down to a still sizable 62,001 as of 12:41PM ET on the site. Plenty of users across the United States are still reporting issues on Verizon's network, including not being able to make calls or send texts and even seeing SOS in the top bar if they have an iPhone.

Verizon has not commented further since its first statement at 11:53AM ET, noting that it's aware of the issue and working to solve it.

Post by @nayelimilemny View on Threads

Post by @joshgad View on Threads

Like AT&T, T-Mobile has responded to us and is quick to note its network is running normally aside from restoration efforts related to Hurricane Helene, which are ongoing.

The full statement reads, "Based on increased reports on Down Detector related to other providers, we believe our customers may be having challenges connecting with other networks. Outside of some areas where restoration is continuing from Hurricane Helene, our network is operating normally."

Down Detector reports for T-Mobile are dwindling, currently at 840 as of 12:56PM ET.

Verizon's network is still having issues

While we're still waiting for an update from Verizon on the ongoing network outage, impacted customers are still sharing what's happening. Several have even taken to X and Threads, noting that they've visited a local Verizon store to try and get answers.

The carrier has updated its "MyVerizon" app with a similar statement at the top noting the network issues, and it is working to identify and resolve them. On Down Detector, reported Verizon outages have slowed down but are currently sitting at over 50,000.

Some folks are trying out Messages via Satellite

Verizon is now displaying the same statement about it's outage near the top of it's websites homepage. It reads, "We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue."

Separately, given that iPhones on Verizon are displaying SOS when the phone can't connect to the network, some users are trying out Messages via Satellite. @sullyj on Threads is dealing with the Verizon outage in Chicago, IL, and wrote, "At least I got to try sending a message via satellite 🛰️." Countless other impacted customers sharing that SOS is display instead of reception bars as well.

Post by @sullyj View on Threads

Post by @tasselamor View on Threads

It's now been five hours since a surge of reported outages hit Down Detector, Threads, and X, noting that Verizon was experiencing some major issues. The carrier confirmed the network disruption with the statement below, which was about an hour and a half after that. Since then, we haven't received any formal updates from Verizon, but customers impacted by the outage have been vocal on both Threads and X.

If you're on Verizon and experiencing issues, there is a good chance you can make calls or send texts and have a hard time using the internet. If you have an iPhone, you may even see SOS in place of network status bars, as the phone does this when it can't connect to a network. The good news is Verizon is working on the issue to identify and solve it, but the bad news is we don't have a time frame.

While reported outages have started to slow down on Down Detector – it peaked at over 105,000 this AM – it's now beginning to rise at over 49,000 after it slowed to about 48,000.

Down Detector is still holding steady since our last update with 47,752 reported Verizon outages as of 3:29PM ET. The comments still mentions in California, North Carolina, and Chicago among other locations, with others nothing that even Wi-Fi calling isn't working.

Verizon has not released any further update since the initial comment, noting that it is working to identify the issue and respond to it. Judging from previous outages, including AT&T's similarly massive one earlier in 2024, it might be a while before Verizon provides an update or explains what went wrong here. Still, it's not stopping impacted customers from asking for more information or expressing frustration on Threads and X.

Verizon's still having issues, but reports are slightly dwindling

It's clear that Verizon is still having issues – both from the carrier's original statement and frustrated customers posting all over social – but reported outages on Down Detector are starting to slow down a bit.

As of 4:22PM ET, there are 42,453, a drop from 48,000 about an hour ago and quite a drop from 105,000 at 11AM ET. According to the map, New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta, North Carolina, Kansas, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix are all prominent on the corresponding outage map.

Could the Verizon network be rebounding back to normal operations? One would hope, though we haven't received any update from the carrier since its first statement over eight hours ago. According to Down Detector, reported outages from Verizon customers are again slowing down – now sitting at 28,842 as of 5:02PM ET.

More so, some people are commenting on Down Detector saying that some service is restored, but that's not a widespread notion as of yet.

Verizon says that "service has started to be restored"

Finally, over 8 hours after reports of an outage began to appear, we've just heard from Verizon that its network is now starting to be restored. We don't have exact details on what went wrong, and it might take a bit to get those, but Verizon says its engineers "are making progress on our network issue." You can read the complete statement here:

"Verizon engineers are making progress on our network issue and service has started to be restored. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience some of our customers experienced today. We continue to work around the clock to fully resolve this issue."

There is still no exact timeline for the restoration, but Verizon promises to work around the clock to resolve it. Further, the carrier apologizes, but we have a feeling customers will want to see credits.

Is your service returning if you've been impacted today on Verizon?

Considering the length and extent of Verizon's outage today, it makes sense that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is aware of it and looking into it. The FCC posted the statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), and many responded, hoping for bill credits.

While Verizon "has only started" to restore its network, some customers are taking to Threads and X to share that connectivity has returned. This is also in line with a drop to 15,382 reported outages on Down Detector as of 5:29PM ET.

Some users are sharing that Verizon must have turned something back on with text messages arriving in bulk or being able to make calls after a long outage that lasted for most of the day.

Post by @bevbafus View on Threads

Post by @cameronmichaelsmith View on Threads

Post by @jenng_71 View on Threads

Still, though, it's not a complete network restoration yet, with other users still noting that the service is not back. Given that this was a nationwide outage across the United States, Verizon could take a bit to get all parts of its network back up to normal operations.

Verizon customers are saying service has returned

Outage reports on Down Detector drop below 5,000

Ever since Verizon issued its latest statement confirming that it has begun restoring impacted parts of its network, we've been keeping an eye on Down Detector. As of 6:40PM ET, the number of reported Verizon outages has dropped below 5,000.

As of 6:29PM ET, Down Detector is showing 4,383 reports and countless comments from folks sharing that service has resumed. Of course, it's not a complete return to service, something Verizon didn't give a time frame for but stated its team would be working around the clock to complete.

Additionally, Down Detector shared a graph of reported outages for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile for September 30, 2024, confirming that the site received over 1.6 million reports from users. That's quite a bit, but of course, it's important to note AT&T and T-Mobile did not have outages today, just Verizon.

Verizon says its network is fully restored

After a long day for Verizon customers impacted by a nationwide outage, the carrier has finally issued a new update noting its teams "have fully restored today's network disruption." This news come over nine hours since first being reported and an especially frustrating day for impacted customers, who were left with only three updates – including this last one. Here's the full statement:

"Verizon engineers have fully restored today's network disruption that impacted some customers. Service has returned to normal levels.  If you are still having issues, we recommend restarting your device. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience.  We appreciate your patience."

While the statement doesn't say what caused the multi-hour outage that impacted customers nationwide – though we did reach out to Verizon asking for more information – it does apologize for any inconvenience. We imagine customers will look for more than words and likely compensation or bill credits for the extended outage.

Lastly, it notes that if you're still experiencing issues, restart your device. This is simply tried-and-true tech advice.