Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms.
iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage. iPhone users may see "SOS" in the status bar, as the device cannot connect to Verizon's network.
AT&T and T-Mobile customers may be indirectly impacted by Verizon's outage.
Apple explains what "SOS" means in a support document:
If you see SOS or "SOS only" in the status bar, your device isn't connected to your cellular network, but you can still make emergency calls through other carrier networks. This feature is available in Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Verizon is aware of the outage, and it is working on a fix.
"We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers," said Verizon, in a social media post, shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern Time. "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."
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 News (@VerizonNews) January 14, 2026
At 2:14 p.m. Eastern Time, Verizon said it is still investigating the issue.
"Verizon engineering teams are continuing to address today's service interruptions," said Verizon. "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."
We will update this story when the outage is fully resolved.
Update: Verizon has promised that all affected customers will be credited an unspecified amount, with more details to be shared soon.
Update 2: Verizon says the outage has been resolved.