SAN FRANCISCO — Many Verizon customers across the U.S. are seeing their phones in “SOS mode” and reporting outage issues Saturday. 

More than 20,000 customers reported issues with their cell service, according to outage tracking website DownDetector. Reports began flooding in just after noon ET. 

Not all Verizon customers were seeing outage issues. It’s not yet known why some peoples’ phones were working on Verizon and others weren’t.

Verizon says they’re aware of a “software issue impacting wireless service for some customers.” 

Employees at one Verizon store were greeting concerned customers outside and telling them their systems were down as well.

“Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue,” said spokesperson Karen Schulz. “We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience. We appreciate your patience.” 

The outage continued past 9 p.m. ET, though Verizon said they’re “starting to see service restoration in impacted areas” and it was an “isolated” number of customers experiencing the issue. DownDetector reports dwindled to 4,000 around the same time. 

They encourage Verizon users to check their Network Status page for live updates. The page also mentions an ongoing “Wireless Service Impact.”

SOS mode is simply a way for your iPhone to tell you that you don’t have a proper cellular connection, meaning you’re only able to call or text emergency services through the cellular network.

iPhone 14 or newer models also have satellite SOS capability, so you’re able to call 911 even when outside of any cellular service range, unless you’re some place where signal can’t get out at all. 

Android phones will also let you call 911 without service, although it’s not called SOS mode. 

The SOS icon will appear in the top right corner of an iPhone’s screen when service is unavailable, where your cellular connection bars usually display

On an iPhone 13 or earlier, if you go out of range for any cellular service, the icon will swap to “No service” until you’re back within range. 

SOS mode automatically turns on when there isn’t any cell service available from your phone carrier. If you’re experiencing an outage, you simply have to wait until service is restored to your area. If you have SOS mode activate because you’re out of your network’s coverage area, you’ll have to travel back inside the coverage area before you can make calls. 

Although SOS mode indicates you don’t have cellular service, it doesn’t mean the phone is useless. Most modern phones allow calling, texting and internet browsing over wi-fi. So if you have an internet connection through a wi-fi signal, you’ll be able to use your phone like normal. You’ll only be able to contact other phones that are on a wi-fi network while in SOS mode. 

Wi-Fi calling is a built-in feature on most Android devices and iPhones and can be turned on under the phone’s settings.

If Wi-Fi isn’t available, there are few options for cell phone users. It’s possible to switch services if a phone is unlocked, but that requires signing up online and porting your phone number.

Some apps, including Google Maps, have limited service offline. Payment apps also do not use a phone’s cell service to work and should also be useable.