[Updated] Verizon says users unable to activate their devices due to a system-wide issue, fix in the works

Here’s the crux of the article in video form

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on March 1, 2023) follows:

Verizon is one of the most renowned carriers in its segment. The company offers telecommunication services that include both mobile telephony and internet, and even TV.

However, it seems that many Verizon users are currently unable to activate new mobile devices due to a system-wide issue.

Multiple reports indicate that, for several hours, an outage in the Verizon system is preventing users from activating new phones.

This means that all mobile network/cellular connectivity related options (such as making or receiving calls) will not be available on new devices pending activation until the issue is resolved.

@Verizon the activation outage today is unacceptable. I just got a new phone and would not have attempted to switch had there been an all-customer email alerting us NOT to switch phones until resolved! Now I have two iPhones, neither of which make or receive calls! 😡😡😡
Source

There are users who have spent hours trying to get help from a support agent. However, they can’t help either, as the outage is affecting the Verizon platform at a system level.

@VerizonSupport @Verizon Existing customer. Logged into account. Clicked on upgrade phone option. Backed out. Phone deactivated. Cannot activate. Support agent spent 1.5 hours doing all the normal troubleshooting. Issued ticket number and said was connecting to support then…
Source

So, the situation is quite frustrating for those who have recently bought a new device and have been unable to activate it.

Fortunately, the Verizon team is already aware of the outage and working on resolving it. But, there is still no ETA for everything to work normally again.

We are currently experiencing a system-wide issue with a delay on all activations. There’s a problem with activations getting backed up, & stuck in our system. We apologize for this inconvenience, & our engineers are working diligently to get this resolved ASAP.
*Ana
Source

They are also recommending users to retry activating their devices ‘in a few hours’.

Please feel free to try us back in a few hours. We truly appreciate your patience, and understanding.
*Ana
Source

We will update this story as related events unfold in the future.

04:41 pm (IST): One of our readers pointed out that this issue isn’t just limited to the new phones, but it also affects those who have recently switched plans on their connections.

It isn’t just new phones it’s also existing phones that I just switched the plan and three of the five lines are stuck in the switch they say.

Thanks for the tip: Eva Grace Mastro!

09:18 am (IST): According to one of our readers, this issue isn’t just affecting Verizon users, but it also causing trouble for other MVNO services such as Straight Talk which relies on Verizon’s infrastructure.

Thanks for the tip: Matt Spaulding!

09:23 am (IST): Verizon support has confirmed that they have resolved the issue where users were not able to activate their devices.

We want you to enjoy that new device as soon as possible. There were some system issues affecting activations. That has since been fixed. You will be good to go now to get your device and activate it. (Source)

09:21 am (IST): Despite Verizon’s claim of the issue being resolved, some users still don’t have any luck activating their new connections.

You literally can’t help me unless you can bring the USA activation system back up (Source)

@VerizonSupport Hello, I received my phone through the online store via an order placed on 2/27. I received it on 3/1 and tried activating it however it’s been saying the sim card cannot be activated. Is that activation issue still going on? (Source)

@VerizonSupport Any progress on the activation issue. I’ve been trying to activate my new phone for 3 days now? Any updates at all?? (Source)

09:24 am (IST): A Redditor has suggested some tips that helped them fix this problem. You can also check them out below.

10:55 am (IST): Verizon support advises users to make sure that they are not in an area where there is an outage, as this will prevent the SIM from being activated.

Hi there, Amanda. I am so sorry you are having issues. Even if your not a Verizon Customer I can advise that you need to be in area that is not currently experiencing an outage to activate the phone. I do wish you the best of luck! 😀
*Heather
Source

05:43 pm (IST): Verizon support team on Twitter recommended users who want to activate new devices to contact them via DM for assistance.

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