In brief
Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram are back online after a major outage affected users globally, with the company confirming that it is resolving the remaining issues.
Meta, the tech giant owning WhatsApp and Instagram, has announced the restoration of services following a significant global outage that occurred on Wednesday evening. The disruptions affected thousands of users across various regions, prompting complaints about access difficulties.According to outage-tracking platform Downdetector, over 22,000 reported issues with Facebook, while more than 18,000 users experienced problems with WhatsApp. The outages began around 18:00 GMT, impacting users in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the United States.Meta took to social media platform X to provide updates, stating, "Thanks for bearing with us! We're 99% of the way there - just doing some last checks. We apologize to those who've been affected by the outage." Shortly after resolving the issues, WhatsApp reassured users, "And we're back, happy chatting!" while Instagram echoed a similar sentiment, expressing gratitude for the users' patience.A variety of technical issues were reported by users, ranging from complete inability to access the apps to difficulties with refreshing feeds. As soon as the problems arose, Meta acknowledged the situation, noting that they were aware of a "technical issue" impacting accessibility and were diligently working on solutions. The recent outages highlight the immense user reliance on Meta's platforms, which collectively boast over three billion active monthly users. The most significant interruption in recent memory occurred in 2021, lasting nearly six hours, prompting public apologies from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. As of now, both WhatsApp and Instagram have returned to normal operation, restoring the services users rely upon.
