A significant cellular service disruption appeared to be widely affecting users across the United States early Monday morning. Reports indicated that the issue extended beyond just phone service, impacting Wi-Fi connectivity for a vast number of mobile and laptop users. Even critical emergency services in the Bay Area were reported to be experiencing slowdowns due to the widespread Cellular Service Down situation.
Starting at approximately 6:30 a.m. ET, a surge in Verizon outage reports began to register on Downdetector.com. By 8:15 a.m. ET, the website had accumulated over 100,000 user-submitted reports detailing service interruptions. These reports originated from various locations across the country, including major metropolitan areas in New York, California, and Michigan, highlighting the nationwide scope of the cellular service down issue. Concurrently, Google search trends reflected a similar spike in searches related to Verizon, further confirming the widespread nature of the reported outage.
Downdetector chart showing spike in Verizon outage reports
Numerous Verizon customers took to social media and online forums to express their frustration and report their experiences with the cellular service down situation. A common complaint among affected users was their phones displaying “SOS” mode. According to Apple’s support documentation, “SOS” mode indicates that a mobile device is no longer connected to a cellular network, signifying a complete disruption in cellular service.
Is there a Verizon Network Outage?
Verizon has acknowledged the ongoing service issues and released an official statement to NBC News addressing the cellular service down reports. The statement read: “We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.” This confirmed the reality of the Verizon network outage and indicated that efforts were underway to restore cellular service.
We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.
— Verizon News (@VerizonNews) September 30, 2024
The telecommunications company also actively engaged with users on their support account on X (formerly Twitter). Responding to customer inquiries about the cellular service down, Verizon support representatives offered assistance, stating, “We understand the importance of staying connected, and would be happy to take a look at what’s occurring. Please send us a DM, and we can jump right in!” and “Hello! I know how frustrating this may be and how important it is to have reliable service. Send us a DM to address any concerns you may have today.”
However, compounding the frustration for users experiencing cellular service down, reports also emerged of difficulties accessing Verizon’s customer support page on their website. This further limited the immediate options for customers seeking information or assistance during the outage.
Understanding SOS Mode During Cellular Service Down
Emergency SOS is a critical feature on iPhones designed to enable users to contact emergency services even when experiencing a cellular service down situation. It allows iPhone users to automatically place calls to emergency responders and share their location with them when a standard cellular network connection is unavailable.
In addition to contacting emergency services, iPhone users can also designate emergency contacts who will receive a text message containing the user’s location after an emergency call is completed. For a limited time following the activation of SOS mode, emergency services will also receive updates regarding any changes to the user’s location. Importantly, if a user has location services disabled on their device, Emergency SOS will automatically and temporarily enable this feature to facilitate location sharing with emergency responders.
Once location sharing is activated through SOS mode, users will receive periodic reminders to stop sharing their location, occurring every four hours for a 24-hour period. Users retain control over location sharing and can manually deactivate it at any time by tapping the status bar and selecting the “Stop Sharing Emergency Location” option.
Furthermore, users with iPhone 14 models or later have the added capability to text emergency services via satellite when both cellular service down and Wi-Fi are unavailable. iPhone 14 and later models, along with Apple Watch devices, also incorporate Crash Detection technology, further enhancing safety features in emergency situations.
iPhone screen showing SOS mode in the status bar
How to Call Emergency Services in SOS Mode During a Cellular Service Down
It is crucial for users to understand how to effectively utilize Emergency SOS to contact emergency services, especially during a cellular service down event. The procedure varies slightly depending on the iPhone model:
For iPhone 8 or later:
- Press and hold simultaneously the side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears on the screen.
- To immediately call emergency services, drag the Emergency Call slider. Alternatively, continuing to hold down the side button and volume button will initiate a countdown, accompanied by an alert sound. Releasing the buttons after the countdown concludes will automatically trigger a call to emergency services.
For iPhone 7 or earlier:
- Rapidly press the side (or top) button five times in quick succession. This action will cause the Emergency Call slider to appear.
- Drag the Emergency SOS slider to initiate a call to emergency services.
Understanding and practicing these steps can be vital in ensuring users can seek assistance from emergency responders even when experiencing a cellular service down situation and relying on SOS mode.
