Key Points:
- WhatsApp experienced a global outage, disrupting services for thousands of users. Service disruption lasted for several hours before being resolved.
- The outage impacted over 24,000 WhatsApp users in the U.S. and over 5,000 Instagram users. The impact of the WhatsApp outage extended globally.
- Downdetector data indicates that around 1,000 Instagram users in the United States continued to experience issues even after service restoration.
- This incident follows a similar outage last month, highlighting challenges in maintaining uninterrupted service for its extensive user base.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, experienced a widespread outage on Wednesday, disrupting services for thousands of users worldwide. However, after several hours of disruption, the smartphone messaging app was restored to normal functioning.
In a post on the social media platform X, WhatsApp confirmed that the issues causing the outage had been resolved, relieving affected users. At its peak, the outage impacted over 24,000 WhatsApp users in the United States alone, according to data from Downdetector. Additionally, Instagram users reported over 5,000 outages during the same period.
Although the service was restored for most users, around 1,000 individuals in the United States continued to experience issues with Instagram, as indicated by Downdetector. This platform tracks outages by compiling status reports from various sources, including user-submitted errors.
According to Downdetector data, the impact of the WhatsApp outage extended globally, with thousands of users affected in countries such as India, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the outage.
This recent incident follows a similar outage last month, during which hundreds of thousands of users on Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms experienced disruption for over two hours due to a technical issue. Meta, with approximately 3.19 billion daily active users across its family of apps, including WhatsApp and Threads, faces challenges in ensuring uninterrupted service for its vast user base.
