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Is Vodafone down? How to check Vodafone network status

The quickest way to confirm a Vodafone outage is Vodafone's network status checker at vodafone.co.uk/network/status-checker: enter a postcode or use your location, no login needed. If it shows a problem, use Wi-Fi Calling and wait for the fix. If it shows nothing, restart your phone, toggle flight mode and check your balance before calling 191.

Check Vodafone's official service status

Vodafone's status checker needs no login. You enter a postcode or use your current location, and a map with 2G, 4G and 5G layers has a Show Network Status option for known problems. Tabs cover mobile, 5G broadband and home broadband. The page links to Report an issue, a device troubleshooter, mobile network alerts and a 3-month plan of planned work. Alerts come by text between 8am and 10pm for up to 3 locations, and usually not for overnight maintenance or short blips. Three customers use Three's own checker, as the two tools are still separate after the merger.

@VodafoneUK posts outage updates

Is it Vodafone or your phone?

  1. Check Vodafone's network status checker with your postcode, or look under Your Network in the My Vodafone app. If Vodafone shows a problem or planned work nearby, it is a network fault and there is nothing to fix on your phone.
  2. Ask someone nearby on Vodafone, or on VOXI, Lebara, Asda Mobile or Talkmobile, which run on Vodafone. If their phone works and yours does not, the problem is more likely your phone, SIM or account.
  3. Restart your phone and turn flight mode on and off. Vodafone lists both in its signal troubleshooting steps.
  4. Check your balance and account. A new pay as you go SIM won't work until you top up at least £5 or buy a Big Value Bundle, and Vodafone suggests uninstalling third-party calling or text apps such as Truecaller if calls or texts misbehave.
  5. If you have Wi-Fi, turn on Wi-Fi Calling so you can still call and text.
  6. Look for other people's reports. During the 13 October 2025 outage Vodafone's status page could not be reached at all, so also check Downdetector (downdetector.co.uk/status/vodafone/), which shows user reports, not Vodafone data.

Outage, or weak signal where you are?

If Vodafone's checker shows no known problem, check how strong its signal should be at your postcode. This uses Ofcom's coverage data, not live status.

Try:

Other brands on the Vodafone network

These providers use Vodafone's masts, so a Vodafone network outage usually affects their customers too.

VOXI Lebara Asda Mobile Talkmobile

Vodafone not working? Fixes to try

No signal or SOS only

SOS or "Emergency calls only" means your phone cannot connect to Vodafone. Vodafone's steps: check the status checker, restart the phone, try calling a different number, make sure you are connected to Vodafone rather than another network, check your balance, make sure the phone is unlocked, toggle flight mode, and check your APN settings.

Mobile data not working on pay as you go

Pay monthly and pay as you go use different APNs on Vodafone. Pay monthly is wap.vodafone.co.uk and pay as you go is pp.vodafone.co.uk, both with username wap and password wap. If you moved from one to the other, check your phone has the right one.

Calls not working on an older phone

Vodafone switched off its 3G network in early 2024, so phones without 4G fall back to 2G. To make calls over 4G, your phone needs 4G Calling. Vodafone has an IMEI checker on its 4G Calling help page to confirm your phone is compatible.

Weak signal indoors

Turn on Wi-Fi Calling. Switch it on in the My Vodafone app (Manage Bars & Extras > Calling options) or online (Settings > Services and extras > Calling options), then turn it on in your phone's settings. Vodafone's device guides show where for each model.

Phone stuck on the wrong network

Vodafone's device guides show how to select a network manually. Pick Vodafone to check you are not stuck on another network, then switch back to automatic so your phone can reconnect on its own.

Calls or texts fail but signal looks fine

Uninstall third-party calling or text apps such as Truecaller, which Vodafone lists as a cause, and try calling a different number to see if the fault is at the other end. If your phone came from another network, check it is unlocked.

Vodafone mobile data (APN) settings

Name
Vodafone pay monthly
APN
wap.vodafone.co.uk
Username
wap
Password
wap

Source: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/business/help/mobile-services/set-up-phone-internet-access-picture-messaging-mms

Past Vodafone outages

  • 11 June 2026

    The BBC reported that a damaged O2 mast at Wyke, West Yorkshire had left people in the Northowram area without mobile service for 11 weeks. Vodafone, Lebara and Asda Mobile customers were affected alongside O2 users, and residents were asked to claim compensation from their providers.

    BBC News

  • 20 October 2025

    A mast in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire was removed at the landowner's request, leaving Vodafone and O2 users with weak or no signal and warnings that it could last into early 2026. EE users were not affected.

    ISPreview

  • 13 October 2025

    Vodafone broadband, 4G and 5G failed across the UK from mid-afternoon, with more than 130,000 Downdetector reports by 4pm. 2G calls and texts kept working, and VOXI, Lebara and Talkmobile users were hit too. Vodafone blamed a non-malicious software issue with a vendor partner, and its status page was inaccessible during the outage.

    BBC News

  • 24 July 2025

    A voice fault on EE and BT's network stopped many people calling EE and BT numbers. Vodafone confirmed it had no network problem of its own. Reports from other networks' users rose too, which the BBC said was likely people unable to reach EE or BT numbers.

    BBC News

  • 10 January 2024

    From just after 6am, Vodafone customers across the UK had patchy 4G and 5G mobile data and some texting problems. Vodafone's support agents told customers they could still use voice and messaging while engineers investigated. ISPreview noted the status page showed no problems during the disruption.

    ISPreview

Can you get compensation for a Vodafone outage?

Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme, which Vodafone belongs to, covers home broadband and landline only, so a Vodafone mobile outage does not trigger an automatic payment. Vodafone's pay monthly airtime terms say that if Vodafone interrupts the service for maintenance or a network fault, you may be entitled to a partial credit of your Airtime Plan charge based on the number of days you are without service. A materially degraded service for an unreasonable period can let you leave without the early termination fee, though you still pay for your device. Pay as you go terms offer a partial refund on the same basis, and you have to contact Vodafone to claim.

Fed up with Vodafone outages?

Switching to a brand on the same network will not help during an outage, because it uses the same masts. A SIM on a different network will. You keep your number by texting PAC to 65075.

Compare SIM-only deals Vodafone PAC code guide

Vodafone outage FAQs

Is there a problem with the Vodafone network today?
We can't tell you live. The official answer is Vodafone's network status checker, which shows known problems and planned work for your postcode. During the 13 October 2025 outage that page could not be reached, so if it won't load and your service is down, check Downdetector and the news too.
Why does my phone say SOS or No service on Vodafone?
Your phone cannot connect to Vodafone. The cause can be a local fault, planned work, weak signal indoors, an empty pay as you go balance, a locked phone or wrong APN settings. Check the status checker first, then restart, toggle flight mode and check your balance.
If Vodafone is down, are VOXI, Lebara and Asda Mobile down too?
Usually, yes. VOXI, Lebara, Asda Mobile and Talkmobile run on Vodafone's network, so a Vodafone network fault normally affects them. VOXI, Lebara and Talkmobile users were affected by the 13 October 2025 outage, and Lebara and Asda Mobile users lost service alongside Vodafone in Northowram in 2026.
Does the Vodafone and Three merger help when Vodafone is down?
Sometimes. Since the merger completed on 31 May 2025, Vodafone and Three customers connect to whichever of the two networks' masts gives the best signal, live on 10,000 mast sites by April 2026 according to Vodafone. That can help with a local mast fault. The two core networks are still separate, so a fault in Vodafone's core network still hits Vodafone customers.
Will Vodafone compensate me for an outage?
Not automatically. Vodafone's automatic compensation only covers home broadband and landline. Its pay monthly terms say you may get a partial credit of your Airtime Plan charge based on the days you were without service, so contact Vodafone on 191 to claim. Ofcom says that if you have been without service for a while, you may also have the right to leave your contract without penalty.
How long do Vodafone outages usually last?
National Vodafone outages are usually fixed within hours. The 13 October 2025 outage started mid-afternoon and Vodafone said that evening the network was recovering. Local mast problems take much longer: Hebden Bridge users were warned in October 2025 that weak signal could last into early 2026.
Can I call 999 if Vodafone is down?
Usually, yes. Ofcom says that when a mobile network is down, a phone should be able to roam onto another network to make an emergency call. It won't work if no network has coverage where you are. If a 999 call won't connect, use a landline or someone else's phone.

Sources

Checked on 24 September 2026 against Vodafone's own pages and the news reports linked above. This page does not show live network status.