Verizon restored service after a major outage lasting approximately 10 hours, which affected hundreds of thousands of customers.
Verizon’s January 26 outage was the first since October 2024, with customers nationwide seeing an SOS on their iPhones instead of network bars.
Many users reported having no network bars on their iPhones. These were replaced with SOS. Customers could not make or receive calls or texts, though data remained available.
Outage Timeline: States and Cities Affected
The outage began around 12:30 pm ET, with thousands of Verizon customers reporting issues across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Threads, as well as in article comments. At its peak, Down Detector recorded over 180,000 reports.
Verizon confirmed the network disruption to TechRadar shortly after 1:00 pm ET and provided a significant update around 9:00 pm ET.
Verizon acknowledged the deception and said it would provide credit to affected customers. The company added that it was working nonstop and making progress. Verizon further stated, “Our teams will continue to work through the night until service is restored for all impacted customers.” At 10:24 p.m. instant time, Verizon confirmed the outage was resolved.
If you are still experiencing issues, please try restarting your device.
We encourage you to participate in the poll below and share in the comments if you are a Verizon customer still affected by the outage.
We will continue live coverage of the Verizon outage and have contacted the carrier for additional information regarding its cause.
Verizon, the largest U.S. mobile network, experienced a major outage on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands of customers without service for most of the day.
An update on Verizon’s website on Thursday said the outage had been resolved. We are sorry for what you experienced and will continue to work hard day and night to provide the outstanding network and service that people expect from Verizon, it said.
What Happened?
The cause of the outage remains unclear. Verizon has not provided details or an explanation on its website. In an email to NPR, a spokesman said the cause was a software issue and that a full review is underway. While Verizon has not disclosed the number of affected customers, Dawn Detector reported receiving 2.3 million outage reports for Verizon throughout the day. This figure does not necessarily represent 2.3 million individual customers.
Cell networks experience minor outages regularly, and larger disruptions are not uncommon. Verizon faced a major outage in several cities in September 2024, while AT&T experienced a significant outage in February 2024 that affected over 125 million devices and customers in all 50 states.
Sanjoy Paul, a wireless network expert at Rice University, explains that the telecommunication systems have become more complex over the past 15 years, shifting from physical infrastructure such as wires and cables to cloud-based systems.
Used to be a completely hardware-dependent network, transformed into a complete software-dependent network, he said. The shift has given operators more flexibility to add services or tweak products, but he said it has come at the expense of reliability.
He noted that cloud and software-based networks present more opportunities for glitches and attacks. Minor issues in the computer code within these systems can have significant consequences.
What Have Been Some Consequences Of The Outage?
Customers lost connectivity for much of the day and could only access SOS mode during the outage.
Customers who wonder why their phones showed an SOS message should realize it indicates their phones were not connected to their carrier network, as was the case during the Verizon service outage. The SOS message indicated Verizon Dawn instead of any other message about the telephone not functioning.
Verizon, which promotes itself as America’s most reliable network, has taken steps to address the situation. The company has advised customers to restart their devices if they continue to experience issues and has offered $20 in credits to acknowledge their time and show that this matters to us, according to its website.
The Federal Communications Commission said in a statement that it was continuing to actively investigate and monitor the situation to determine the next steps.
Could It Happen Again?
Yes, similar outages could affect Verizon or any of its competitors.
As the cause of this Verizon service outage remains unclear, it’s too early to say whether the exact thing could happen again. However, Lee McKnight, an associate professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, told NPR’s Morning Edition that outages are a fact of life for major telecommunications firms these days.
Modern telecom networks are cloud networks. 5G networks are mainly like hundreds of different cloud services. He said the telecom companies haven’t yet adjusted their training to the reality that their staff have to be experts not just in cell towers and wireless, like we think, but also in cloud services like AWS, Microsoft, or Google.
At the end of the day, experts say consumers could consider a B-plan for connectivity, which may mean installing a landline at their house or getting a second phone on a different cell network.
Verizon Confirms Software Issue Caused Outage, No Cybersecurity Threat Detected
Verizon confirmed to news outlets that a software issue caused the over 8-hour nationwide outage on January 14, 2026. The company is conducting a full investigation.
Verizon also stated there is no evidence of a cybersecurity incident. As of now, there is no indication that this was a cybersecurity issue.
Here’s a full statement from a Verizon spokesperson to news outlets.
This was a software issue, and we are conducting a full review of what happened. As of now, there is no indication that this was a cybersecurity issue.
Some Customers Can Now Redeem Their $20 Credit In The My Verizon app.
Following Verizon’s announcement, both Chris and Lance Ulanoff confirmed they could access the $20 credit in the app.
Lance saw the credit at the top of his app, redeemed it, and received confirmation of a $20 credit per account.
Chris reported receiving the $20 credit in the Verizon app. Had to click on the notification icon and then redeem the credit. It will be applied in 1-2 billing cycles. Customers who do not see the credit at the top of the app are encouraged to check the notifications section.
Amazon has not yet sent a text message to inform customers about the $20 credit. The company has also not provided further details about the software issue, but is expected to release more information after completing its investigation.
Amazon Reports The Outage Is Resolved, Though You May Need To Restart Your Phone.
TechRadar received an update from Verizon at 10:24 PM ET. Christina Moon Ashraf confirmed that the outage has been resolved. If you are still experiencing issues, Verizon recommends restarting your device.
Christina Moon Ashraf also stated that we will provide account credits to those affected. Details will be shared directly with customers. She concluded: “We sincerely apologize for the disruption.”
This is positive news; many users report that the service has returned, while some note only partial functionality. It varies, and may still be making adjustments. Below is a list of troubleshooting tips, in addition to restarting your device, that may help restore service.
We will provide updates if we receive further information from Verizon. Updates may come in from TechRadar colleagues or from me in the UK.
The update regarding account credits is also positive. Once we have more information about the process, we will update the guide. We hope Verizon will provide further details about the cause of the outage and the measures being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
As Verizon suggests, try restarting your phone when services return.
If you use an iPhone, try a soft reset:
- Press and hold the volume up button
- Press and hold the volume down button
- Finally, press and hold the power button until the Apple logo appears.
Turn on airplane mode and then turn it off.
