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.
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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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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
We have a slight update, at least from folks on Verizon, but it’s not a fix, more like a glimmer of recovery.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
