It's the day after the massive Verizon outage that kept the carrier's customers from using their phones for over seven hours. After investigation by both federal and local officials in the northeast United States, the conclusion reached is that a server failure in New Jersey caused the outage that had Verizon subscribers upset and angry all day. They are also angrier today thanks to a $20 per account credit that Verizon announced Thursday morning. Many Verizon subscribers consider that amount to be insulting.
PhoneArena readers were among the first to get the news about Verizon's outage
PhoneArena was among the first tier of mobile-related media to report the outage yesterday; we first posted that Verizon was down at around 12:30 pm and this status didn't change for over seven hours. Initial fears were that Verizon was the victim of a cyber-attack. At one time, such a thought would have seemed like crazy talk, but with everything going on the world these days, nothing seems impossible. Law enforcement eventually shut down that rumor.
T-Mobile's tweet explains while some subscribers thought that the Un-carrier's network was also down. | Image credit-X
Interestingly, not that long after Verizon went down, T-Mobile and AT&T subscribers started reporting to sites like Downdetector that they were also without wireless service. But both wireless providers quickly sent out posts stating that their networks were up and running and that calls to Verizon customers were not going through due to the issues that Verizon was having. Both T-Mobile and AT&T took the opportunity to troll Verizon during the outage.
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AT&T tells Verizon subscribers to try its service. | Image credit-Instagram
T-Mobile yesterday sent a tweet that read, "T-Mobile’s network is keeping our customers connected, and we’ve confirmed that our network is operating normally and as expected. However, due to Verizon’s reported outage, our customers may not be able to reach someone with Verizon service at this time."
AT&T wrote on Instagram, "Our network? Solid. If you’re experiencing issues, it’s not us…. it’s the other guys. Some things are just out of our hands! – BUT if you’re interested in giving us a try."
Verizon subscribers flooded Downdetector with angry anhd frustrated comments
Verizon subscribers were flooding Downdetector with comments all day. "I have been in and out of SOS mode for 3 hours now…my family was all fine but now they are getting outages/SOS mode too," said a user in Maryland. Some Verizon subscribers were so upset that they posted threats about switching carriers. Truthfully, all carriers experience outages. What made this one so different was the length of time it took to fix.
Verizon subscribers, will you switch to a new carrier because of the outage?
Yes. I need to feel secure that my service will be running,
20%
No. That would be ridiculous after one, albeit long, outage.
60%
I need to think about it.
20%
In some major population centers, like New York City, Verizon's outage had some city officials concerned about the carrier's customers being unable to call 911 in case of an emergency. New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) warned residents in the Big Apple that some Verizon users could not call 911 and the suggestion they made is one you should keep in the back of your mind for the next carrier shutdown.
The hack that allowed affected iPhone users to have the phone call experience despite Verizon's outage
NYCEM suggested some tips that can be applied in any city. If you are unable to reach 911, call from someone else's phone that uses another carrier. You can also use a landline to make an emergency call, or head over to the closest police or fire station and make a report in person.
As a Verizon subscriber myself, the outage was somewhat frustrating but there was a hack that iPhone users could have tried. While Verizon customers could not make or receive phone calls, they could use FaceTime audio. This uses the FaceTime infrastructure minus the video components allowing them to communicate to other iPhone users with a phone call alternative.
The outage cost people the opportunity to make doctor appointments, while it affected the ability of some to do their jobs. For example, ride share drivers were affected by the outage as those using Verizon or a MVNO that uses the Verizon network (like Visible, Total Wireless, and Tracfone), were unable to access Google Maps or other navigation apps.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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