While Verizon had a good few months, with the last major outage occurring in October 2024, it seems that the popular United States wireless carrier is having some issues. So, if you're on Verizon and seeing 'SOS' in place of network bars, you're not alone.
Countless users have taken to social platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Threads to shout issues, but reported problems with Verizon have spiked on Down Detector to over 46,000.
We've just reached out to Verizon to ask what's going on with its network, but in the meantime, we're spinning up a TechRadar live blog to report on this potential outage as it happens.
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.
Here's a look at what that looks like, courtesy of TechRadar's Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff's iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is connected to Verizon's network here in New York City.
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.
Meanwhile, here's a sampling of impacted users taking to social platforms to report issues with Verizon.
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
Source: TechRadar
