Verizon customers complain of widespread outages with mobile phones limited to SOS mode

Verizon customers across the United States reported problems accessing the company's wireless network, with some reporting Monday morning that their phone service was down and limited to SOS mode.

As of 10:11 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 reports of Verizon outages were logged with Downdetector, a site that tracks service outages for telecommunications providers, websites and other businesses.

Outages were reported from New York to Los Angeles, with the main complaint linked to a lack of service to customers' mobile phones.

Customers began reporting problems just after 9 a.m. ET, with some turning to social media to ask Verizon for refunds.

“It's been over two hours and we don't even know why this is happening. We all pay a pretty penny for our Verizon bills, this time should be compensated until the issue is fully resolved,” posted X, a customer on Verizon's customer support account. on it

People across the country have reported that their phones have no service other than SOS mode.

“SOS in Ohio since mid-morning. Was working with my drive, but went down a few hours ago and hasn't come back,” one user wrote on Downdetector.

In a statement emailed to CBS MoneyWatch, Verizon said it is aware of the issue.

“We are aware of issues affecting service for some customers,” a spokesperson said. “Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and resolve the issue.”

What is SOS mode?

Mobile phones sometimes switch to SOS mode when they have trouble connecting to a wireless network As the name suggests, SOS mode means the phone can still make emergency calls, such as 911, by connecting to other carriers, according to Apple.

Some customers complained on social media that the outage made it impossible for them to use 2-factor authentication, while a company sends a code via text to a customer's mobile phone when logging in as an extra security precaution. The customer then uses the code to access an account, such as a financial services account or work email — as well as their Verizon accounts.

“Also, how can I log into my Verizon account if I can't verify who I am by receiving texts due to the outage?” A user wrote in X.