Verizon goes down for MILLIONS across US with users struggling to make calls or send texts
Verizon experienced a nationwide outage this morning, leaving many customers unable to call or text.
The outage started around 9:30 a.m. ET and rose from 3,800 reports to more than 64,000 customers reporting that their cell service was out at 10:45 a.m. ET.
Reports showed phones stuck in SOS mode, while others said they had data bars but were still unable to receive incoming or outgoing calls and texts.
Verizon has not informed customers why the service was out and has not yet commented on the outage.
Verizon has gone bankrupt in the US and many users are complaining that they cannot make calls or send text messages
Verizon has more than 143 million users in the US, but the number affected by the outage is unknown.
People took to Downdetector, a site that monitors online problems, to report the outage Monday morning in areas as widespread as Chicago, Atlanta, New York City and Phoenix.
The outage appears to be affecting people intermittently, with one person noting that they are an Android user and called their mother’s iPhone, which had service, but their brother, who also has an iPhone, is offline.
“So it seems like it’s a coincidence that we’re out and others are doing just fine,” the person wrote.
Another person reported that they were able to stay on 5G for a few minutes when they turned airplane mode on and off, but then their phone returned to SOS.
SOS is automatically activated on all phones when there is no cell service, but it is a distress signal that can still be sent to request immediate help in a life-threatening emergency.
A person from Madison, Wisconsin reported on Downdetector: ‘In SOS mode. I restarted my phone (iPhone 14pro), turned off the mobile network and turned it back on, then it shows bars but immediately goes back to SOS.’
In Indiana, a Verizon user reported that his phone isn’t working for just some calls and texts, but not all, and suggested people do a software update if they can and make calls over Wi-Fi.
However, another person noted that this doesn’t seem to be an option, writing, “In Southern Illinois we also see no signal from towers (SOS on signal indicator).
‘What makes me think it’s even bigger, though, is that it’s even connected via Wi-Fi while the cellular connection is turned off. Wi-Fi calling and texting is not available.’
DailyMail.com has contacted Verizon for comment.