Is Verizon broken? Users report phone and text outage as company confirms ‘problem’

Verizon users across the country reported a widespread outage Monday morning.

DownDetector.com, which monitors online complaints about technology outages, saw an increase in users reporting problems with texting and calling starting around 9:30 a.m. ET.

Many people have reported being stuck in SOS mode on their phones, unable to send messages or make calls.

Verizon did not immediately acknowledge any outages on its social media channels, and its network status website was not loading as of 10:30 a.m. A Verizon spokesperson has since confirmed “an issue affecting service for some customers.”

“Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and resolve the issue,” the spokesperson told FOX television stations.

What is SOS mode?

Starting with iPhone 14, Apple released a feature that allows users to send messages to emergency services via satellite when they are outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, or in case network failure.

Messages are relayed directly via satellite to dispatchers who accept text messages or to relay centers staffed with specialists who can call for help on the user’s behalf, FOX News reports.

SOS mode will automatically turn off once cellular service is restored.

Google announced that a similar feature would be available starting with the Google Pixel 9.

How can I make calls and send text messages?

As long as they are on an independent Wi-Fi network, such as at work or school, Apple iPhone users should still be able to send text messages to other iPhone users using iMessage, which is the default setting for Apple-to-Apple messaging. But they may not be able to send text messages to Android phone users.

iPhone and Android phones are capable of making Wi-Fi calls, using a Wi-Fi connection rather than a cellular network connection, but some devices and phone plans limit this use.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX for any updates.