Is Verizon down? How to check your local area for outage problems, fixes, and more

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Millions of Verizon customers are currently experiencing a data outage.
• This prevents users from making phone calls and browsing on cellular networks.
• Users can use Verizon and Downdetector to stay up-to-date on the latest updates in their local area.

It’s been a rough day for Verizon, as one of the largest network operators in the US faces an ongoing outage that has generated millions of user reports nationwide.

If you’re impacted by the loss of cellular connectivity, you may even notice an SOS symbol on the top of your phone screen. It’s an indicator that means your device can only tap into satellite signals to make calls and send texts. In most cases, that’s dialing emergency services like 911, and nothing more.

Also: Verizon outage affects over 2 million users: What ‘SOS’ means, refunds, more updates

Based on a heat map provided by Downdetector, it appears that users on the East Coast are facing the most network issues, with red circles hovering over states such as New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and North Carolina. A closer look reveals reports from cities such as Phoenix, Chicago, and Los Angeles, suggesting this is a nationwide problem.

(Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as ZDNET.)

To keep track of the outage and know when service has resumed in your local area, you can refer to Downdetector’s live tracker. You can also see the latest service updates by address (and, optionally, phone number) through Verizon’s official network status page.

Also: I compared Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T 5G coverage on a road trip – and the winner surprised me

As of 4:12 p.m. ET today, Verizon shared on X that its “team is on the ground actively working to fix today’s service issue that is impacting some customers.” The company has yet to provide information on when affected customers can expect service to be restored, but here’s hoping a fix is imminent.