Many Verizon users across the United States faced frustrating wireless service issues on Saturday evening, with thousands reporting connectivity problems. The outage left many customers unable to make calls, send texts, or use mobile data, creating a major inconvenience for those who rely heavily on the network.
Widespread Reports of Service Issues
According to outage-tracking platform Downdetector, more than 11,000 reports of outages were recorded around 7:19 p.m. ET. Earlier in the day, the number had peaked at over 22,000 reports around 3:45 p.m. ET and about 18,000 reports by 6:09 p.m. ET. Customers from across the country shared their frustration online as they struggled to stay connected and reach loved ones or conduct work-related communication.
Verizon Responds to the Outage
In response to the growing complaints, Verizon Support acknowledged the issue on its official social media platforms. The company explained that the disruption was due to a software issue affecting wireless services and assured customers that its engineers were working around the clock to address the problem. Verizon also encouraged customers to visit their “Network Status” page to check for updates about service availability in their area.
Verizon apologized for the inconvenience caused to its users, stating, “We know how much people rely on Verizon and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this issue.” While the company has not provided a clear timeline for when the problem will be fully fixed, the number of outage reports appeared to decrease gradually as the evening progressed.
The “SOS Mode” Issue on iPhones
Many affected users also reported that their iPhones switched to “SOS” or “SOS only” mode during the outage. According to Apple Support, this indicates that the phone has lost its regular network connection but can still make emergency calls. For some customers, this feature provided at least a minimal level of communication during the disruption, though regular services remained unavailable until the network began stabilizing.
Areas Most Affected by the Outage
The outage impacted users nationwide, but certain regions reported higher disruption levels. The East Coast, particularly cities like New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., experienced significant connectivity issues throughout the day. Parts of California, including Palm Springs, were also affected, indicating that the problem was not isolated to a single region but spread across the country.
The Path to Recovery
While the situation appears to be improving, the incident highlights how dependent people have become on uninterrupted wireless connectivity. Verizon has assured customers that its technical teams are working tirelessly to restore full service and to ensure the issue does not recur. For many users, the gradual return of service late in the evening provided some relief, though questions remain about the cause and prevention of similar outages in the future.
A Reminder of Our Connectivity Reliance
This outage serves as a reminder of the critical role wireless services play in modern life. From personal communication to business operations, a disruption of this scale underscores the importance of reliable infrastructure and rapid response when problems occur. Verizon has pledged to keep customers informed as their teams continue to stabilize the network and restore full functionality across all affected regions.