Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, faced a significant technical outage on Wednesday, leaving millions of users unable to access its popular services. Reports of disruptions began flooding DownDetector.com shortly before 1 p.m. Eastern, with tens of thousands of users across the U.S. and other parts of the world reporting issues.
According to DownDetector, more than 96,000 Facebook users reported problems accessing the platform, while Instagram saw over 69,000 similar complaints. WhatsApp, Meta's secure messaging app, also experienced disruptions, with more than 12,000 users reporting outages. The newer Threads app and Facebook Messenger were also affected, further exacerbating the widespread impact.
Meta acknowledged the problem through a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) at 1:48 p.m. Eastern, approximately an hour after the outage began. "We're aware that a technical issue is impacting some users' ability to access our apps," Meta stated. "We're working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience."
The disruptions varied widely among users, with some reporting complete service blackouts, while others experienced slower load times, lagging apps, or partial functionality. On Facebook, for instance, some users reported posts showing zero comments or failing to load altogether. Instagram users faced difficulties uploading or viewing photos, while WhatsApp messages failed to send or deliver.
The outage affected users in major cities across the U.S., including New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, according to DownDetector's real-time outage maps. Reports also emerged from international users, indicating that the disruption had a global reach, though the full extent of the impact remains unclear.
For a company like Meta, which owns and operates some of the world's most widely used platforms, such outages have substantial implications. Meta's suite of services is not only central to personal communication but also serves as a critical tool for businesses, influencers, and advertisers.
Outages of this scale are rare but not unprecedented. In October 2021, Meta experienced another significant disruption that knocked out its services for several hours, reportedly due to a technical error during routine maintenance. This latest outage underscores the vulnerabilities inherent in operating interconnected platforms that collectively serve billions of users.
Social media users quickly turned to alternative platforms, including X, to share their frustrations and search for updates. Hashtags like #MetaDown and #FacebookOutage began trending within hours, drawing attention to the widespread nature of the disruption.
