Verizon outage triggers SOS mode nationwide

Starting around noon Eastern on Wednesday, many Verizon customers reported that their phones suddenly showed no bars or automatically entered SOS mode. Soon after, Verizon confirmed a widespread outage impacting wireless voice and data services. In a statement, the company said its engineers were engaged and working to identify and solve the issue quickly. Verizon did not share a cause or a timeline for when service would fully return.

Credit: Verizon

What Verizon customers experienced during the outage

Reports flooded social media as customers tried to figure out what was happening. Many said they could not make calls, send texts, or use mobile data. Some devices showed only SOS, which signals a lack of normal cellular connection. According to user reports on X, the issues appeared to begin around 12:00 p.m. ET. About an hour later, Verizon posted an update on X saying,

“We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers. 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.”

Verizon serves more than 146 million wireless subscribers in the United States, meaning even short outages can affect millions of people at once. We reached out to Verizon for additional details, and a representative told CyberGuy,

“Verizon engineering teams are continuing to address today’s service interruptions. Our teams remain fully deployed and are focused on the issue. We understand the impact this has on your day and remain committed to resolving this as quickly as possible.

Credit: Verizon

Downdetector showed severe disruption

Outage tracking site Downdetector classified the situation as “Very High.” At its peak, more than 170,000 users reported problems, a number that dropped to about 60,000 by mid-afternoon. Most reports involved mobile phone issues and a complete loss of signal.

Downdetector’s outage map showed the heaviest disruption in major metro areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. Many users said their devices entered SOS mode, signaling a severe breakdown in cellular connectivity. When a phone switches to SOS mode, calls, texts, and data stop working. Emergency 911 calls may still go through via satellite, depending on the device.