Archive · 16 Jan 2026
Verizon Outage Disrupts Services Nationwide
Verizon, a big phone company, had a problem on Wednesday.
Many people couldn't use their phones or internet because of this.
Verizon knows about the problem and is trying to fix it.
They said they're sorry for the trouble.
A website called Downdetector.com showed that lots of people were having issues.
Verizon's workers are looking into what went wrong and how to make it better.
They know how important it is for people to stay connected.
In some cities, like New York, people were told to use landlines or go to police stations if they needed help because the outage might affect emergency calls.
Other phone companies like T-Mobile and AT&T said their services were working fine, but some of their customers might have trouble calling Verizon users.
Verizon is giving a $20 credit to affected customers to make up for the trouble.
Verizon experienced a widespread outage on Wednesday, disrupting calling and data services across the U.S.
The carrier acknowledged the issue and deployed engineering teams to resolve it, stating it was caused by a software issue.
Downdetector reported a peak of 177,339 outage reports by 12:30 p.m. ET, with issues persisting into the afternoon.
Emergency alerts were issued in cities like New York, advising residents to use landlines or visit local stations for emergencies.
Verizon is offering a $20 account credit to affected customers, accessible through the myVerizon mobile app.
- Who
- Verizon Communications
- What
- Network outages affecting wireless voice and data services
- When
- Wednesday
- Where
- Multiple US cities, including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon
- Why
- Cause not yet determined, but Verizon stated it was due to a software issue
Verizon
Customers
Compensation
Verizon
Verizon is offering a $20 credit to affected customers as a gesture of goodwill and acknowledgment of the outage.
Customers
Customers appreciate the credit but may feel it is insufficient compensation for the significant disruption caused by the outage.
- Company
- Verizon Communications
- Date
- Wednesday
- Outage Tracking Site
- Downdetector.com
- Affected Users
- Tens of thousands
- Service Status
- Down for many users
- Company Response
- Engineers working on the issue
- Apology Status
- Yes, for the inconvenience
- Peak Reports
- 177,339
- Emergency Alerts
- Issued in cities like New York
- Other Carriers Affected
- Minimal reports for T-Mobile and AT&T
- Compensation
- $20 account credit
- Eligibility
- Customers impacted by the outage
- How to Avail Credit
- Through the myVerizon mobile app
Sources
Is Verizon down? Users report widespread network outages in multiple US cities—What does SOS mean on your phone?
Verizon Down: Users Across US Report Phones Stuck In SOS Mode
Verizon outage disrupts calling and data services for wireless customers across the US
When Will Verizon be Back Up? Phone Carrier Shares Update as Outage Hits Thousands Across US
Verizon outage leaves thousands of users without signal: When will network be restored? Check latest update
Verizon outage: Will customers receive credit for mass US service disruption?
How To Claim Verizon's $20 Credit For Outage?
