Verizon Outage Leaves Thousands Without Service Nationwide

Verizon CA-CampbellPhoto byVerizon

A Verizon outage on Monday left tens of thousands of customers without the ability to make calls, send texts, or access mobile data for several hours. Over 100,000 users reported issues, according to the tracking site DownDetector. Many iPhone users were left in SOS mode, only able to make emergency calls.

Verizon confirmed the problem early Monday, stating that engineers were working to resolve the issue. By 5 p.m. ET, the company said service had begun to be restored, apologizing for the inconvenience.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) acknowledged the outage and is investigating its cause and extent.

AT&T, which had a similar outage in February, reported that its network remained operational.

For users in SOS mode, this feature means the phone can only call or text emergency services when the cellular connection is lost. iPhone models 14 and newer have satellite SOS for emergency calls outside cellular service areas.

Wi-Fi calling is an option for those without service, and apps like Google Maps may offer limited functionality offline. Payment apps typically do not rely on cellular service and should still work.