Verizon has confirmed a network outage after more than 100,000 people filed online reports of issues with the company's cell network starting Monday morning. It took until Monday afternoon for service to begin being restored.
Is Verizon service down?
The company is aware of an issue impacting service for some customers, said Ilya Hemlin with Verizon's communications team.
"Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue," Hemlin told the Register on Monday morning.
Verizon representatives did not answer questions about the cause of the issue as of 3:15 p.m. Monday.
It said shortly after 4 p.m. that engineers were "making progress" and service had started to be restored.
Verizon outage map confirms service is limited in Des Moines, Iowa
Data, voice text and wireless home internet services were still limited in Des Moines, the Verizon outage map stated, although the website itself isn't working consistently. As of 5 p.m. Monday, Verizon's website said outages were still possible across Iowa.
Places with the most reported issues in the Midwest include Chicago, Minneapolis and Columbus, according to DownDetector .
Why is my phone in SOS?
Users with Apple iPhones may notice that their phone displays "SOS" next to their battery icon.
While in SOS mode, users do not have a cell connection but will be able to make emergency calls using other networks, according to Apple.
To quickly call emergency services, simultaneously press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear and the countdown on Emergency SOS ends, then release the buttons. In certain regions, users can also text 911 from their iPhone.
Verizon users can try Wi-Fi calling instead
When you're in a place with weak or no cellular network coverage, you may be able to make and receive calls and texts over a Wi-Fi network instead, Verizon said . Wi-Fi calling lets you make and receive voice calls over a Wi-Fi network instead of using Verizon's cellular network.
Calls and texts made over Wi-Fi to numbers in the United States don't use the cellular network and don't count against your mobile plan's data allowance, either. Calls would count toward your data allowance with your Wi-Fi provider.
Users do have to be connected to the Verizon network to setup Wi-Fi calling for the first time, so if you haven't set it up previously, it may not work during the outage.
How do I use Wi-Fi calling on my iPhone?
To turn on Wi-Fi calling, go to Settings, Phone, then Wi-Fi Calling. You might need to enter or confirm your address for emergency services, according to Apple .
If Wi-Fi Calling is available, you’ll see "Wi-Fi" in the status bar while viewing Control Center. Your calls will then be using Wi-Fi Calling.
How do I use Wi-Fi calling on my Android phone?
On Android phones, you can go to Settings, Network and Internet, tap Calls and SMS, choose a network under Wi-Fi Calling and toggle Wi-Fi Calling to on.
Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR .
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Verizon starting to restore service after leaving thousands of phones in SOS mode
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