Verizon Outage: What SOS and Satellite Icons Mean on Your iPhone

Verizon Outage 2026: What Happened?

By now, you or someone you know was affected by the Verizon outage on January 14th, 2026.

Around noon, Verizon users reported difficulty making and receiving calls, sending text messages and using data. As a Verizon user, I noticed my phone was in SOS and couldn't make calls. My phone wouldn't even connect for a second. 

Clearly, I wasn't alone.

According to CNN, outage website Downdetector told them that more than 1 million issues were reported and "at its peak, more than 178,000 reports were filed within a 15-minute window."

So what happened? CNN reports that "Verizon has not revealed the cause behind the outage."

With that being said the issues were officially cleared up around 10 pm on January 14th, 2026.

SOS and Satellites: What Do They Mean?

When the Verizon outage began, I first noticed the SOS symbol pop up on the right top corner of my iPhone.

I've seen this symbol a time or 2 and have learned from Apple that it means "your device isn't connected to your cellular network, but you can still make emergency calls through other carrier networks."

READ MORE: What is This SOS Only Message on iPhones?

During the latest Verizon outage not only did I see the SOS symbol, but this time I saw a satellite. Once I finally got on WiFi I did some digging.

Macworld explains that when you see a satellite on your iPhone, your phone has no regular network signal.  It indicates that the iPhone you have (iPhone 14 or newer) "can connect to satellites for Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance or Messages via Satellite."

Additionally, they say if you're trying to send a message you'll be prompted to "point your phone at a satellite to send messages."

To find a satellite, Apple suggests going outside with a clear view of the sky, your phone will then show you how and where to point your phone at a satellite to connect.

Lets hope we never have an outage like this again and never have to use the Apple satellite.

Verizon to Credit Users After Outage

In a statement to CNN, a Verizon spokesperson said:

“Today, we let many of our customers down and for that, we are truly sorry. They expect more from us.”

To make up for the outage it looks like Verizon will be giving back to its customers. According to CNN, Verizon said it will provid

Verizon said it plans to provide account credits to those affected and will share more details soon.