Verizon Outage Leaves Tens of Thousands of Customers Nationwide with Phones Stuck in ‘SOS’ Mode

Verizon Wireless customers across the United States reported widespread service disruptions on Wednesday, Jan. 14, with many saying their phones were stuck in “SOS” mode and unable to connect normally.

Reports surged around noon Eastern Time, according to Downdetector. The outage began shortly after 9 a.m., reported the The New York Post.

Verizon acknowledged the problem in a statement posted on social media shortly after 1 p.m. local time.

“We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers,” the company said. “Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly. We understand how important reliable connectivity is and apologize for the inconvenience.”

About an hour later, Verizon said it was “continuing to address today’s service interruptions.”

Many iPhone users reported seeing their devices switch to “SOS mode,” which typically appears when a phone can’t access cellular service. Others said they were met with a “no service” indicator. While some customers later reported service returning, others said disruptions continued.

Downdetector showed the highest concentration of reports in New York City, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte and Houston. Additional outages were reported in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., per the Post.

Washington, D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications (OUC) warned that the outage “may be affecting some users attempting to connect with 911.”

“If you have an emergency and cannot connect using your Verizon Wireless device, please connect using a device from another carrier, a landline, or go to a police district or fire station to report the emergency,” the OUC stated.

Meanwhile, other carriers reported more limited issues. T-Mobile, which also experienced smaller outages alongside a number of other providers, including AT&T, said its own network was functioning normally but noted that Verizon’s disruption could affect calls to Verizon users.

“We’ve confirmed that our network is operating normally and as expected,” the company wrote. “However due to Verizon’s reported outage, our customers may not be able to reach someone with Verizon service at this time.”

As the outage drew attention online, Krispy Kreme offered a small consolation: free glazed doughnuts from 5–7 p.m., saying, “because some days you need a sweet backup plan you can rely on.”

It’s still unclear what caused the outage or when service will fully return. Verizon customers can check their network status through this webpage.