Thousands of Verizon users report service outage as phones are stuck in SOS mode

Verizon users across the country reported service outages Monday morning after the network experienced “an issue,” a company spokesperson told The Post. Downdetector.com – which provides real-time updates on Internet and phone services – experienced a spike in reports of Verizon outages around 10 a.m.There were more than 100,000 reported incidents at 11 a.m.The outages were mostly affecting users on the East Coast, including New York, as well as the Midwest.“We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers,” a Verizon spokesperson told The Post in a statement.

“Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.”Frustrated cell users turned to social media to report that their phones were stuck in SOS mode.Users can tell when their iPhone is in SOS mode because the bars in the top right corner of their screen will disappear and be replaced with “SOS.”The feature was launched with the iPhone 14 to allow customers to make emergency calls when they are not connected to cellular service.SOS mode only allows for calls to a local emergency number.It automatically turns off when cellular service is restored.The only other option was for users to manually turn on their Wi-Fi calling, which allows for calls and text messages only when the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. When users turn on Wi-Fi calling, they will be asked to approve or change the home address linked to their phone in case they need to make an emergency call.The service “issue” may have started late Sunday night.

One reporter at The Post said she lost cell service and her phone locked into SOS mode around 9:30 p.m.Sunday.

She regained service around 6 a.m.on Monday....