Hundreds of thousands of Verizon customers across the United States are grappling with a significant data outage that has affected their ability to make phone calls and browse the internet on cellular networks. This disruption has garnered over two million reports in just the past 24 hours, impacting major cities such as New York City, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Houston.
Verizon has classified the outage’s severity as “Very High,” as numerous complaints target mobile phone issues and lack of signal. Many users have reported their devices defaulting to SOS mode, indicating a loss of cellular connectivity.
In response to the widespread outage, Verizon shared an update via social media, expressing regret to customers: “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.”
Users have been venting their frustrations on platforms like Downdetector. One user mistakenly believed the lost signal meant they had neglected to pay their bill. Others pointed to the rising costs associated with Verizon’s 5G plans and shared anecdotes about how the outage affected their daily lives, such as a family that couldn’t access their QR-coded concert tickets due to the loss of service.
In light of the frustration, Krispy Kreme has even stepped in to respond to the service interruption with a “free donut” campaign running from 5 to 7 p.m. local time, giving a sweet treat to those impacted by the outage.
Verizon has assured customers that account credits will be provided to those affected, though the specifics of these credits remain to be announced. In situations like this, previous carrier practices suggest that the compensation could amount to a day’s worth of the customer’s current plan, usually valued between a few cents and a few dollars.
Among the technical issues noted, some iPhone users have reported seeing an SOS icon on their devices, causing concern that an emergency call was being initiated. The iPhone’s SOS feature, activated when cellular and Wi-Fi networks are unavailable, has sparked confusion, though Apple representatives confirmed that this icon indicates a lack of cellular service and does not imply an actual emergency call or result in billing.
As the situation unfolds, customers are encouraged to check Verizon’s network status page for real-time updates on service restoration efforts. Many users hope to see a swift resolution to the outage, while sharing their experiences and frustrations online as they await restoration of their connectivity.
