If you’re seeing SOS mode on your phone today, you’re not alone. Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in America, is experiencing a massive outage that’s affecting users across the US.
Around 10 a.m. ET, users reported that they could not call, text, or use cellular data. Many added that their phones were in SOS mode.
Also: Verizon is adding satellite texting as soon as this fall, but not for all devices
Phones enter SOS mode when not connected to their carrier network, either because they are in an area with poor coverage or because of a technical problem. Given that most of today’s reports are from major cities, this issue seems to be the latter.
Fortunately, a phone in SOS mode can still make emergency calls, and you may be able to make some calls and send texts if you have a Wi-Fi connection.
Shortly before noon, Verizon said in a post on X, “We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.” The Verizon Support X account seemed to be sending automatic replies to user complaints.
A map on DownDetector.com (owned by Ziff Davis, the parent company of ZDNET) shows heavy outages in East Coast cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and New York, but also, to a lesser degree, in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. More than 100,000 users have reported an outage. At 2 p.m., outages were still being reported.
–>
