For many Verizon customers across the United States, phone service simply vanished overnight. Calls failed, 5G internet dropped out, and text messages hung in limbo as a large network outage swept through several regions late Wednesday.
Reports came in from New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix, and Atlanta, among other cities. Screens on phones flashed “SOS” or “Emergency Calls Only,” leaving users unsure whether the issue was local or nationwide.
Outage tracker Downdetector showed reports climbing quickly around midnight Eastern Time. About half of them involved mobile service, a third were tied to 5G home internet, and the rest pointed to signal loss.
“Phone keeps ending calls, and when I try to call back, it says it couldn’t connect,” one customer posted on Downdetector. Another user wrote, “Mine goes from LTE to 5G to 5G UW and then just shuts off — I have dead zones in my house.”
Verizon says engineers traced the issue to a software problem
Verizon confirmed it was aware of the service failure and that its engineers were working through the night. The company blamed the outage on a software configuration error inside its core network.
Service was mostly back by early Thursday morning, though some customers said calls were still dropping or data was slow. Verizon didn’t share how many users were affected but described it as a “significant service disruption” that had since been stabilized.
Outage map highlights affected regions
The company’s outage map showed dense red clusters across the Northeast, parts of the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. Customers could look up their area using the Check Network Status tool on Verizon’s website, which displays active alerts and restoration times.
Some users in North Jersey said they received messages suggesting full service might return by 1:11 a.m. ET Friday.
Users share frustration as 5G and Fios slow down
Complaints also poured in from Verizon Fios and wireless home internet customers who struggled to load pages or send messages.
“It took me 20 minutes to post because Verizon’s 5G is down,” one person said on X (formerly Twitter). Another mentioned that upload speeds had nearly stopped.
Downdetector comments described unstable connections, slow uploads, and devices switching between 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi repeatedly.
What Verizon customers can do
Verizon suggested a few simple fixes while services recover:
Turn Airplane Mode on for a few seconds, then off again.
Restart your phone.
Use Wi-Fi Calling to make calls if the network signal is weak.
Subscribers can also enable outage notifications by signing into My Verizon and checking Communication Preferences.
Customer support and next steps
Verizon’s support line (800-922-0204) is open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight, and users can reach the company’s 24-hour chat assistant online for troubleshooting.
Industry experts said such disruptions are rare but can ripple across regions when a network update misfires. Verizon has not yet said when a detailed technical report will be made public.
By Thursday afternoon, most customers appeared to have service again, though social media continued to fill with posts from a few still waiting for stable connections.
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