Verizon's service should now be restored following a major outage that lasted for around 10 hours and impacted hundreds of thousands of people.
It was the popular United States wireless carrier's first major outage since October 2024, and it was a bad one, with customers across the country seeing 'SOS' in place of network bars.
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The spike is real on Down Detector – as of 12:16PM ET there are over 46,000 reported outages and a few of my colleagues who use Veirzon are seeing 'SOS' in place of network bars on there iPhones.
For those counting, Down Detector is now at over 90,000 reported issues, with many in the comments noting that on their phones, 'SOS' is appearing instead of network bars. This likely indicates that the device can't reach the cellular network and instead defaults to satellite connectivity, a feature offered by the iPhone and other smartphones.
Verizon's own Network Status isn't showing any issues
Interestingly, Verizon's Network Status checker doesn't appear to show any issues, and I've tried plugging in a few different locations to get it to update. Please let us know in the comments if you're on Verizon and experiencing this outage.
Based on social media posts and Down Detector comments, it's clear that the New York Metro Region, Texas, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada, and South Carolina are experiencing issues.
I am also encountering a 'please try again' pop-up when using the tool, so it might be experiencing an outage.
I am keeping an eye on Verizon's own social channels – mainly @Verizon, @VerizonSupport, and @VerizonNews on X – to see if any comment or acknowledgment is being issued, but there's nothing as of yet.
Who else has a Verizon outage? I have no service, full SOS in North Carolina.January 14, 2026
Looks like Verizon is having a major outage again. My iPhone is down to no service but my galaxy on unlimited welcome is fine. pic.twitter.com/KwRHsVIgpGJanuary 14, 2026
I use Visible, one of Verizon MVNO's, and still have service
I swapped from Verizon to Visible this past November during the carrier's Black Friday - Cyber Monday sale and am still seeing service on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, actually 5GUW with two bars of service.
Now, Visible is Verizon's MVNO, which means it's a 'mobile virtual network operator' that actually offers its service via Verizon's network, so it's peculiar that it's not impacted by the outage ... at least as of yet.
Verizon just confirmed the issue with TechRadar and is working on a fix
"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 states that it's aware of the issue hitting both voice and data for some customers, but doesn't show how far-reaching the impact is. It's clear it's quite wide; scroll down and read the comments below.
There is no timeline for a resolution, but Verizon's engineers are working on it. So that's a positive.
A look at 'Messages via Satellite' on iPhone
While I'm still seeing service on Visible – Verizon's own MVNO – with 5G UW, my colleague, Lance Ulanoff, on Verizon proper, is still seeing SOS and is attempting to use 'Messages via Satellite' on his iPhone 17 Pro Max. Here's what that looks like: it's a pretty nice visual interface that takes over the Dynamic Island.
Down Detector reports are dropping, but many are still reporting issues
Let's take a quick status check on Down Detector – while reported issues with Verizon were at nearly 180,000, it is starting to drop to around 120,000. A significant drop, which might point to some recovery, but also still way above the number we expect Verizon or any cellular carrier to be at on a normal day.
Lance headed onto the streets of NYC to give 'Messages via Satellite' a go, as his iPhone 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange that's connected to Verizon is still showing SOS. He connected via satellite, following the prompts, but the four messages he sent me still haven't been received on my end.
Verizon's outage is impacting voice, text, and data for cellular customers
Here's a quick update – reported outages for Verizon began spiking a bit before 12:30 PM ET on January 24, 2026, and Verizon confirmed the issue shortly after 1 PM ET. The outage is affecting nearly all parts of Verizon's cellular service in the areas covered, including New York, New Jersey, the Carolinas, Texas, and Florida, among others. Just look at the comments below.
Verizon's provided an update, but there's still no estimate for a fix
And further, Verizon's not sharing any information on what's causing the issue – we've reached back out to Verizon to ask for more information, though we might not hear back until this is resolved.
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.January 14, 2026
New York City's official emergency notification system has commented on the situation, noting that if you're on Verizon and are impacted by this outage, it may affect your ability to dial 911 in an emergency. It advises you to try calling from a landline or another device, or to visit a precinct, if you have an emergency.
Nationwide @Verizon Wireless Outage: Outage may affect some users trying to call 911. Call using a device from another carrier, a landline, or go to a police/fire station to report emergencies. To find your precinct: https://t.co/QtknvNamrXJanuary 14, 2026
We have a slight update, at least from folks on Verizon, but it's not a fix, more like a glimmer of recovery.
As we noted earlier, other carriers are operating normally, with T-Mobile posting on X (formerly Twitter) that its network is performing well. It does note that if you're attempting to reach someone on Verizon, you may not be able to establish the connection.
T-Mobile’s network is keeping our customers connected, and we’ve confirmed that our network is operating normally and as expected. However due to Verizon’s reported outage, our customers may not be able to reach someone with Verizon service at this time.January 14, 2026
Just like T-Mobile, AT&T is also confirming that its network is operating just fine ... albeit with a bit more sass.
Our network? Solid. If you’re experiencing issues, it’s not us.....it’s the other guys. Some things are just out of our hands! - BUT if you're interested in giving us a try - https://t.co/xftQXpUcjwJanuary 14, 2026
Quick update – Lance's phone quickly went back to SOS and then back to a few bars, so it's likely that Verizon is working on restorations and that there is a flood of iPhones and other phones like Pixel and Galaxy devices trying to get back online.
We're keen to hear Verizon provide another update on what exactly is going on, as the last one was at 2:14 PM ET – over an hour ago.
We reached out to Carolina Milanesi, President and Principal Analyst at Creative Strategies, Inc., for her thoughts and expertise on the current outage impacting Verizon:
And here's the latest look at the reported outage map from Down Detector – Verizon's outage is very widespread, hitting the East Coast – Northeast and Southeast – Midwest, and even select metropolitan cities on the West Coast.
Here's where we stand 4 hours in
We've reached out to Verizon to ask for more information and are waiting to hear back; that'll likely be the case until another wide statement is issued. For now, though, if you have Verizon, your ability to make calls, send texts, and use data – aka browse the web on 5G or even 4G – is likely affected. If you're on an iPhone, you're likely seeing network bars replaced with SOS. You can see our guide to sending messages via satellite here.
Krispy Kreme to the rescue, sort of
While it's not a service recovery, Krispy Kreme is at least making those impacted by Verizon's major outage today feel a little bit better. The iconic doughnut chain has confirmed to TechRadar that it'll be serving up free original glazed doughnuts from 5 PM to 7 PM across the United States at its locations as a 'sweet backup plan.'
That's pretty great, and I can confirm a Krispy Kreme original glazed can really hit the spot. If only Verizon would provide another update!
Verizon provides an update, but still no time for a resolution
Well, Verizon's finally shared another update on the ongoing network disruption as of 4:12PM ET. It doesn't state the cause of the issue or how long it'll take for it be resolved, but it does read, "Verizon's team is on the ground actively working to fix today’s service issue that is impacting some customers."
Krispy Kreme donuts are secured
Lance and I headed to a Krispy Kreme in NYC and can confirm that donut deal is real. You're entitled to one free Original Glazed donut and the offer is valid from 5PM to 7PM, it certainly helps for a tasty treat after a stressful day – that's contuining to the evening – for Verizon customers.
The impacts of the Verizon outage
And here's an update on the current number of reported outages at Down Detector – it's fallen to about 43,000, which is still an abnormally high number pointing towards an outage by down from the over 180,000 reports from earlier today. Meanwhile, we're awaiting further updates from Verizon on the timeline for resolution.
Due to ongoing network outages, we’re encouraging all fans to add their tickets to tonight’s game to their Apple/Google wallets prior to arriving at the arena to avoid any delays.January 14, 2026
Verizon's outage is now stretching on for 6+ hours
We're still awaiting an update from Verizon on the resolution timeline or the cause of today's issues. The carrier last posted an update at 4:12 PM ET, noting that teams were on the ground working to resolve the outage. And if you're on an iPhone and seeing SOS, here's a guide to trying to send messages via satellite.
We're now in hour 7 of this Verizon outage
We're now into 7 hours of what is still a very active and ongoing Verizon outage, so let's take a look at the outage map on Down Detector that's based on the most recent reports. It shows fewer outages, but it's still quite high for a typical day at Verizon, with over 37,000.
It seems that the Northeast, specifically New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, is a bit of a hotspot for Verizon's network issues. Still, Boston, Washington DC, Florida, LA, and Phoenix are all on here as well.
From the comments below, I see that TechRadar readers on Verizon are still experiencing issues in Massachusetts, Alaska, Mississippi, Maryland, Virginia, and New Hampshire, among others, and remain affected by this outage.
I'm on Visible – Verizon's MVNO – and haven't been impacted, but I spoke with my colleague, Lance, who still has no service. His wife, though, has 1 bar showing and 5G with the ability to browse the internet and make calls, though not to Lance, and his son has LTE.
One of my friends in NYC has an iPhone 16 and is still seeing "SOS" instead of network bars or 5G on his device. He tried a restart, a soft reset, and turning Airplane mode on and off – all to no avail so far. He hasn't attempted to try Messages via Satellite, though that is a bit hard to pull off in metro areas with tall buildings like NYC.
And our poll is still open, so please vote on what you're currently experiencing with Verizon, and thank you to the 20,000+ who have already voted.
Some things to try on your phone
- Sounds simple, but try restarting your phone.
- Try a soft reset if you're on an iPhone – press and hold the volume up button, press and hold the volume down button, then press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo.
- Turn on Airplane mode and then turn it off.
We're now in hour 8 of this Verizon outage
Judging by the comments down below, it appears that many across the United States – Georgia, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, to name a few – are still in the midst of this Verizon outage, while others have seen bars reappear and then disappear soon thereafter.
One of my friends in New York City who has an iPhone 17 Pro Max just told me that after hours without service, 5G appeared and then went away after about a minute – certainly frustrating. Similarly, my colleague Lance Ulanoff is seeing Verizon service come in and out on his iPhone 17 Pro Max – at times, a bar or two appearing, and then quickly disappearing.
Verizon finally gives us an update, and says it will work through the night to get its network back online
"Today, we let many of our customers down and for that, we are truly sorry. They expect more from us.
We are working non-stop and making progress. Our teams will continue to work through the night until service is restored for all impacted customers.
We will make this right - for any customer affected, we will provide account credits and share updates soon."
Today, we let many of our customers down and for that, we are truly sorry. They expect more from us.We are working non-stop and making progress. Our teams will continue to work through the night until service is restored for all impacted customers.We will make this right -…January 15, 2026
Lance's iPhone 17 Pro Max on Verizon is finally showing some positive signs, and hopefully that means a few of you in the comments might be seeing this as well ... though mileage will undoubtedly vary.
After switching to 'Searching,' the iPhone was able to show 5G and two bars of service with Wi-Fi turned off. Lance ran a quick speed test and scored 89MBps download and 1.48MBps – not the strongest speeds ever recorded, but a sign that the network connection was there.
It's lasted about 14 minutes so far, so let's see if the connection sticks.
Verizon says the outage is resolved, but a restart of your phone might be required
We'll, of course, update this if we hear further from Verizon as well – those might come from me in the early morning hours tomorrow or from my TechRadar colleagues in the UK who will be online well before then.
It's also good news on the credit front, and once we hear more about the process for obtaining those, we'll update the guide. And I do hope that Verizon will detail a bit more about what exactly happened today and the steps it's taking to ensure the likelihood of an outage at this scale – lasting for nearly 10 hours – happening again can be reduced.
- Sounds simple, but as Verizon suggests, try restarting your phone.
- Try a soft reset if you're on an iPhone – press and hold the volume up button, then press and hold the volume down button, and finally press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo.
- Turn on Airplane mode and then turn it off.
'We learned to disconnect and appreciate'
In all the madness and anger – or any other emotion you want to for this outage – there was one Verizon customer who left a comment that stood out to me. Posted by an anonymous user on Down Detector, they said, "Today we learned to disconnect and appreciate and some of us even met some pretty cool people."
We're 12 hours in and things are coming round
As of 10.20pm ET, Verizon confirmed that the issue had been resolved, but the company is yet to offer an explanation as to what went wrong.
It's given the competition a chance to take a dig at Verizon. T-Mobile sent its customers a message to reassure them there wasn't any issue with its own network, while AT&T said that if any of its customers were experiencing problems, "It’s not us...it’s the other guys.”
Verizon services should now be back to normal for everyone. If your phone is still not picking up the network, trying turning on airplane mode and off again or restart your phone.
There's still no word from Verizon on what caused the outage, but we'll update this live blog when we hear more.
The outage has been resolved. If customers are still having an issue, we encourage them to restart their devices to reconnect to the network. For those affected, we will provide account credits. Details will be shared directly with customers. We sincerely apologize for the…January 15, 2026
Will Verizon customers get a refund?
We're still in the aftermath of the big Verizon outage, and one of the main questions is whether customers will be reimbursed for the problems that lasted 12 hours?
Right now, all Verizon has said is that "we will provide account credits" and that "details will be shared directly with customers". So far, we haven't seen any evidence of anyone receiving those details – if you have, please do share them in the comments below.
While some may have preferred a refund rather than a credit, not all mobile networks promise compensation during outages – so that's at least a small silver lining on a very bad day for Verizon customers.
Some are still having issues
While the Verizon outage is over for most people (aside from waiting to receive credits, see post below), some are still experiencing residual issues almost a day on.
Over on Downdetector, the reports are at around 2,300 at the time of writing – nowhere near the peak of 182,000 reports at 12.45pm ET yesterday, but still not insignificant. In the comments, some have noted "still out in NC", "I’m still SOS (South Jersey)", and "New Hampshire and I'm down".
There are similarly some anecdotal reports over on X, with a number of users posting that the network is "still down" for them. Fortunately for us, that isn't our experience, with TechRadar's Editor at Large Lance Ulanoff reporting that "all systems are normal here" in New York and that he's currently hotspotting on his Verizon 5G network while on a train, which is "working smoothly".
If you're still having issues, Verizon's advice is still for customers to "restart their devices to reconnect to the network". Clearly, that isn't working for everyone, but hopefully those remaining cases will be resolved soon.
Verizon will give customers a '$20 account credit'
Well, Verizon has issued its next comment—arriving at 9:42 AM ET—and once again the carrier is apologizing and admitting it "did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves."
The nice part is that it’s a somewhat automatic credit that Verizon customers should be able to accept. Still, though, considering it was an over 8-hour outage, I’m not sure this will be music to the ears of impacted customers.
The carrier does provide a little more detail, though: "This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can. But it’s a way of acknowledging our customers' time and showing that this matters to us."
Full statement from Verizon:
"Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence our customers expect and that we expect of ourselves. To help provide some relief to those affected, we are giving customers a $20 account credit that can be easily redeemed by logging into the myVerizon app to accept. On average, this covers multiple days of service. Our business customers will be contacted directly about their credits.
This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can. But it’s a way of acknowledging our customers' time and showing that this matters to us.
If customers are still experiencing issues, we encourage them to restart their devices to reconnect to the network. We are sorry for what you experienced and will continue to work hard day and night to provide the outstanding network and service that people expect from Verizon."
Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves. To help provide some relief, we are giving you a $20 account credit that can be easily redeemed by logging into the myVerizon app to accept. On average, this covers multiple days of…January 15, 2026
Not seeing the $20 credit? Verizon will send a text when it's available
If you're not seeing the $20 credit from Verizon on your account page – either on the web or in the MyVerizon app on Android or iOS – you're likely not alone. Lance hasn't seen it yet, and we reached out to Verizon, who informed us that it will send out a text to customers when the $20 credit becomes available.
I'm not yet sure if that process has begun or if it's planned for later today – though I really hope it is –, but we've asked Verizon and will hopefully hear back soon. If not, it's a bit of a waiting game. You can read a bit more on the $20 credit and some thoughts on its impact here.
It doesn't appear that Verizon's begun the process for issuing the credit, but TechRadar has confirmed that it is a $20 credit per account, not per line. This means that if you have a family plan with any number of lines, you'll be eligible for a $20 credit.
Verizon confirms a software issue caused the outage and there is 'no indication' of a 'cyber security incident'
In a statement to TechRadar, Verizon is shedding some light on the over 8-hour outage yesterday, January 14, 2026, that affected many of its customers across the United States. The outage was caused by a software issue, and Verizon is conducting a full investigation into the cause.
Furthermore, Verizon notes that this wasn't a cyberattack: "As of now, there is no indication that this was a cyber security issue."
Here's the full statement from a Verizon spokesperson to TechRadar:
"This was a software issue and we are conducting a full review of what happened. As of now, there is no indication that this was a cyber security issue."
The $20 credit is appearing as redeemable for some in the MyVerizon app
Here's some good news – hours after Verizon announced that customers would be able to get a $20 credit due to the over 8-hour outage that impacted the carrier's customers across the United States, we have Chris who commented down below, as well as my colleague Lance Ulanoff, confirming they both were able to see it in the app.
For Lance, it appears at the top of his 'MyVerizion' app, reading: "We're sorry we've let you down. Redeem your $20 credit below. Credit will be applied in 1-2 bill cycles." with a 'Redeem Now' button below. He clicked it and received a success screen (see below) confirming that there is only one $20 credit per account.
For Chris, in the comments below, he wrote: "Received the $20 credit in the Verizon app. Had to click on the notification icon, and then redeemed the credit. It will be applied in 1-2 billing cycles." That's a few more hoops, but if you're not seeing it up top, the notifications section is a good place to check.
Seemingly, Verizon has not yet sent a text message informing customers of the ability to redeem the $20 credit. We also haven't received any updates from the carrier on the specific details of the 'software issue' that caused the outage, but we expect Verizon to release more information after it completes its investigation in the coming days.
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