Meta’s suite of apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, experienced widespread outages on Wednesday, leaving users across the globe unable to access their accounts and services.
The issues began around 10 a.m. Pacific Time, according to downtime tracking website Downdetector, which reported over 97,000 problem reports for Facebook and more than 67,000 for Instagram. Users reported difficulties logging in, refreshing feeds, sending messages, and accessing other core functionalities across the platforms.
Addressing the situation, Meta acknowledged the technical difficulties in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). “We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience,” the company stated at 10:48 a.m. Pacific Time.
Instagram echoed a similar message on X, assuring users that the team was working diligently to resolve the problems. WhatsApp also confirmed disruptions on its service but noted progress in restoring functionality. “We’re starting to see a return to normal for most people,” WhatsApp announced at 10:49 a.m. Pacific Time.
The cause of the outage has not yet been disclosed by Meta. The simultaneous disruption across multiple major platforms underscores the challenges in maintaining the vast infrastructure required to support billions of users worldwide.
Outages of this scale have significant impacts on users and businesses that rely on these platforms for communication, marketing, and operations. Many turned to other social media platforms to express their frustrations and seek updates on the situation.
As services began to be restored, users reported improved access, though some continued to experience intermittent issues. Meta has not provided further details on the nature of the technical issue or any steps being taken to prevent future occurrences.
Global users and businesses will be monitoring the situation closely, awaiting a full resolution and hoping for an explanation from Meta regarding the outage that disrupted a significant portion of the world’s social media connectivity.
Reference(s):
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