Why Verizon's network is so slow right now, and how to fix it

Link Image Published May 15, 2026, 6:39 AM EDT I've been covering Android and other mobile technology for close to ten years now, with a specific interest in phone accessories, e-readers, and what makes each individual phone different from another. I delight in looking at the phone market from as many angles as possible, and while my opinions may be odd, at times, they're always from the heart as much as the head. I have a background in the mobile accessories world, which explains my odd enthusiasm for cases and things that clip onto smartphones. I worked for Digital Trends from 2017 to 2025. Sign in to your Android Police account Verizon is experiencing some serious network slowdowns that are causing even its most faithful customers to lose trust in the company. While Verizon has been experiencing some problems with sluggish connections for the better part of a month, the last few days have seen a big increase in those complaints. Problems may be due to faulty rollout A number of Reddit threads have popped up in the last few days, complaining of achingly slow network speeds, resulting in delayed text messages and sluggish data speeds. To be fair to Verizon, the service hasn't gone down completely, but given how slow the connection speeds are, that isn't much of an upside. The problems are popping up across the US, and don't seem to be concentrated in any particular area. These more recent complaints join more from about a month ago, implying that the problem may be chronic, and due to some sort of change in Verizon's infrastructure. In fact, intrepid investigators think they may have narrowed down the culprits for the problems to one specific action: Verizon's attempt to roll out standalone 5G (5G SA) to its customers. It's thought the 5G SA network was responsible for the huge Verizon outage in January of this year, and it could be to blame for continued problems on Verizon's network. What can be done to fix it Source: Verizon One theory says that Verizon has restricted who can access 5G SA in certain areas, which is causing problems for many. Others say that switching your phone over to 5G SA fixes the problem. This isn't a guaranteed and confirmed fix, but it's worth a shot if you're struggling. Otherwise, many are saying switching off 5G entirely and moving back to 4G fixes the lag and makes it so that messages will go through again. While this won't be the best option, due to the drop in speed, if you're not able to get anything on 5G anyway, it's only a positive. At the moment, there's no sign that Verizon is able to fix the problem, and while official Verizon accounts have been active on Reddit, there's been no official word from the main Verizon channels about the problems. For now, fiddle with your network settings and see what you can do to fix it.