Verizon, touted as a very dependable network, crashed hard last week due to a software glitch. From about 12:30 PM to 10:15 PM Eastern, potentially hundreds of thousands to millions of customers lost service in locations including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, New York City, and Philadelphia.
Coming on the heels of Cloudflare's technologically different but equally jarring outages of last year, it's a further reminder that constant connectivity is not a given. Luckily, we have six tips to help you prepare for future wireless outages.
1. Use Wi-Fi as a backup
It's unlikely that both your cell service and your home internet or cafe's Wi-Fi will go down simultaneously. Many phones and networks allow you to switch to Wi-Fi for calling and sometimes texting. To set it up on Android, tap "Settings" > "Network & internet" > "SIMs." Tap the name of your network, then "Wi-Fi Calling". On iOS, tap "Settings" > "Apps" > "Phone" > "Wi-Fi Calling." (This is based on Android 16 and iOS 26.)
Of course, Wi-Fi also works for any other apps, including email, cloud services, social networks, food delivery, and rideshare. For the last one, no worries if you don't have access at your destination. Whenever you get back online, you can leave a tip and review, if you wish.
2. Use internet-based texting and calling apps
Your wireless service is far from the only way to text and call. As a backup, make sure to get on messaging apps that work over the internet and that the key people in your life also use. (That may end up being several.)
Read more: Prepare Now for the Next Big Internet Outage
If everyone is on iOS, you're already set. While the iPhone's Messages app handles standard SMS texts, chats between Apple devices (including iPhones, Macs, and iPads) run over the internet-based iMessage service.
Newer iPhones and Android phones may support RCS, enabling online messaging between both types of phones. But implementation is still spotty, so it's not a sure thing. To turn on RCS for Android, click > Messages app > your profile picture or initials > "Messages settings" > "RCS chats" and toggle it on. For iOS, tap > Settings > "Apps" > "Messages" > “RCS Messaging” then toggle it on. (This assumes the phone and wireless carrier support it.)
There are also plenty of apps that allow conversations over the net, regardless of device. You can call and text with Discord, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Signal, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and X.
3. Save tickets, QR codes, and more on your device
Paper tickets and will-call lines are yielding to using your phone for access. Many tickets, including airline boarding passes, can be saved to the Android and iOS apps, which are both called Wallet. You typically just click a button in the confirmation email on your phone. You may also get a QR code right in the email. Make sure you have enabled downloading of images for any of those emails as a second way to gain access if the network goes down.
4. Switch from SMS codes to apps or passkeys
A few sites can send two-factor authentication codes to WhatsApp (available on phones, computers, tablets, and some smart watches), but the vast majority offer them only by generic SMS text. There are at least three alternatives so you can log into websites even when SMS is down.
Apps such as Authy, Google Authenticator, and Microsoft Authenticator can generate the 2FA codes instead, but this must be set up with each website in advance. Some sites' apps serve a similar role. With a Google account, for instance, you may be able to use mobile apps like Gmail (if previously installed) to authenticate, generally by just pressing a button.
Read more: More People Are Ditching Passwords for Passkeys
You can also enable passkeys for your main online accounts. This encryption-based login method is much more secure than username/password, and most sites that support passkeys don't require two-factor authentication if you have set one up. That's also helpful if your phone is lost, stolen, or broken.
[Image credit: Sean Captain/Techlicious via ChatGPT and Nano Banana]
