Popular Cell Company Owes Many In New York State Money

A cellphone company has apologized after many New Yorkers assumed their phones were hacked.

AT&T is going to provide customers affected by Thursday's network outage with some money off an upcoming bill.

AT&T Outages In New York State

On Thursday, many AT&T customers experienced phone outages. The service disruption started early Thursday, and was a major headache for many, with phone services limited.

GPS maps also failed and some 9-1-1 calls did not go through.

DownDetector reported T-Mobile, Verizon, Cricket Wireless, FirstNet, Boost Mobil, Consumer Celluar, US Celluar and Straight Talk also had outages.

T-Mobile and Verizon customers reported issues, but the carriers said their networks operated normally and did not experience outages.

Many In New York State Think Their Phones Were Hacked

Many in New York State woke up Thursday morning and feared their phones were hacked.

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"Two sources briefed on the situation told ABC News that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security among other agencies, had been urgently investigating to determine whether the AT&T outage was the result of a cyberattack or a hack, or simply some sort of technical malfunction," ABC reported.

AT&T Blames Software Update

AT&T later said there's no indication the outage was due to a cyberattack. The company reports a software update is to blame.

"Our initial review of the cause of Thursday’s outage indicates it was due to the application and execution of an incorrect process used while working to expand our network, not a cyber attack. We are investing billions to grow our network and deliver an exceptional customer experience. This is both a point of pride and a challenge that always requires care and focus," AT&T states.

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Credit For Impacted Customers

If you were someone who did experience phone issues on Thursday, well AT&T has some good news for you.

"To help make it right, we’re reaching out to potentially impacted customers and we’re proactively applying a credit* to their accounts. We want to reassure our customers of our commitment to reliably connect them – anytime and anywhere. We're crediting them for the average cost of a full day of service," AT&T said.

$5 Credit

AT&T is giving customers a $5 credit.  The cellular provider said that customers will receive it within two billing cycles.  Most credits will be posted in the next billing cycle.

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"We apologize for Thursday’s network outage. We recognize the frustration this outage has caused and know we let many of our customers down. We understand this may have impacted their ability to connect with family, friends, and others," AT&T stated. "We’re also taking steps to prevent this from happening again in the future. Our priority is to continuously improve and be sure our customers stay connected."