iPhone SOS: Verizon Experiences Major Outage Across the U.S. [Update: Fixed]

Verizon is currently experiencing a major outage that is affecting many customers across the U.S., including iPhone users. Affected users may be unable to send or receive phone calls, send or receive text messages, or use cellular data.

ios 17 iphone 15 pro status bar sos crop feature2
As a result of the network being down, many affected iPhone users are seeing "SOS" displayed in their device's status bar. In a support document, Apple says that an iPhone displays "SOS" when the device is not connected to a network, but it should still be possible to make emergency calls in the U.S., Australia, and Canada.

In a statement, Verizon said it is "aware of an issue impacting service for some customers" and working to identify and implement a fix.

With any iPhone 14 model or newer, you can use Apple's helpful Emergency SOS via satellite feature to text emergency services when you are in a supported area in the U.S. that lacks cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.

Update 5:00 p.m Eastern Time: Verizon has started restoring service for customers, though it could take some time for the carrier to resolve the issue for all users.

Update 7:18 p.m. Eastern Time: Verizon says the outage has been fully addressed, and all VZW customers should now have service.

Tag: Verizon

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Monday June 23, 2025 2:57 pm PDT by
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we've rounded up below. Control Center The background behind the Liquid Glass Control Center buttons has more blur, allowing...
ios 26 control center b2

iOS 26 Beta 2 Fixes Control Center Design

Monday June 23, 2025 10:58 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass. iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26 Includes These Five Smaller Features You Might Have Missed

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:18 am PDT by
While the dust is beginning to settle on the first iOS 26 beta, we continue to take a closer look at new features coming with the update. Below, we recap five smaller changes that you might have missed. Emoji Game Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji Game, which tasks players with completing words and phrases with emoji. This is the fifth game that is...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...

Top Rated Comments

SVTmaniac Avatar
10 months ago
Ironically, my $25 a month Visible plan that uses Verizon towers is fine. My wife’s $100 a month Verizon plan has SOS and we are standing right next to each other and use the same phones ?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
raythompsontn Avatar
10 months ago

I wonder what kind of liability Verizon will face later.
None.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrono1081 Avatar
10 months ago
I'm secretly enjoying the outage because it's hard for coworkers to get ahold of me.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nikster0029 Avatar
10 months ago
The outage has lasted me two hours now. I thought it would be brief because it’s large spread, but it’s beginning to look a lot more serious. I wonder what kind of liability Verizon will face later. Could it be a attack on the infrastructure?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
10 months ago
Paul is laughing all the way to the bank. Can you hear me now?



Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
STOCK411 Avatar
10 months ago
Perhaps my dad (a civil engineer) has a point about why he continues to pay for our analog landline at home. lol
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)