Verizon outage phone stuck on SOS: What to do

Check out our live blog coverage on the Verizon outage for more up-to-date details on the major cellular network issue.

Verizon customers across the country have reported a network outage that has left their phone stuck in SOS mode. There might not be an immediatet fix — that will likely require Verizon's network resolving its issue — but there are some steps you can take to try to get your phone working again.

Mashable's Kimberly Gedeon has all the details on the outage, but the gist of it is that many iPhones are stuck in SOS mode. That's the feature from Apple that allows you to call or text emergency services — even without service. It's intended for users who are in poor coverage areas.

This suggests that significant portions of Verizon’s network are down. Verizon has said its working on the problem.

"We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers," it said in a statement on X. "Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue."

Not every Verizon customer is experiencing this issue — both my Verizon phone and WiFi are currently in working order — but it does appear to be a big problem. Here's what you can do.

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Phone stuck in SOS mode: What to do

To be honest, there is no real fix beyond Verizon's network coming back online. We will update this story when that is the case.

You could try putting your phone in airplane mode — or turning it off entirely — to try to reconnect to the network. Though if the network remains down, you will likely still be unable to connect.

You could also use Wi-Fi calling. This method will let you send text messages and make calls over Wi-Fi. You'll have the option to use popular communication apps such as FaceTime or WhatsApp. (Check out this in-depth tutorial on how to turn on Wi-Fi calling for iPhone users.)

Otherwise you can keep trying to restart your iPhone or, more likely, wait for Verizon to fix its problem.