Verizon outage: Lions urge fans to download tickets before Monday Night Football

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A widespread Verizon outage could wreak havoc on Lions fans on Monday night. Now the team is urging all fans to download their tickets before going to the game.

DownDetector.com, which monitors online complaints about technology outages, saw a spike in the number of users reporting problems texting and calling starting at about 9:30 a.m. ET.

Many people reported being stuck in SOS mode on their phone, unable to send messages or place calls.

The Detroit Lions – and all major sports teams – have ticketless entry, meaning you must scan the tickets on your phone to get into the game. 

The Verizon outage could mean major problems when trying to get inside Ford Field for Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks. 

At 4:30 on Monday, several hours before the gates open, the Lions urged fans to download tickets at home instead of relying on their mobile carrier at the gate.

What is SOS mode?

Starting with the iPhone 14, Apple released a feature that enables users to message emergency services via satellite while outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, or in times of network outages. 

The messages are relayed directly via satellite to dispatchers that accept text messages or to relay centers staffed by specialists who can call for help on the user’s behalf, FOX News reports. 

SOS mode will automatically turn off once cellular service is restored.

Google has announced a similar feature would be available starting with the Google Pixel 9.