A widespread disruption on Wednesday temporarily knocked Instagram and WhatsApp offline, leaving users across the globe unable to access key Meta-owned platforms.
Facebook has yet to confirm whether all issues have been fully addressed, though the company acknowledged progress in resolving the situation.
Meta, which operates the affected apps, provided an update on X, stating, “We’re nearly there at 99%. Final checks are underway. Apologies to everyone impacted.”
Outage-monitoring website Downdetector recorded over 22,000 reports of Facebook-related issues and more than 18,000 complaints about WhatsApp during the evening.
Users in regions including the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the US reported disruptions, ranging from being unable to load feeds to complete inaccessibility of the platforms.
By Wednesday night, the services had largely resumed. WhatsApp reassured its audience with the message, “Happy chatting, everyone!” Meanwhile, Instagram tweeted, “We’re back—thanks for waiting patiently!”
The interruptions, which began around 18:00 GMT, were attributed to a technical problem. Meta confirmed it was actively addressing the issue to restore normal functionality.
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp collectively serve billions of users globally, making even short-lived outages highly impactful.
The largest recorded disruption to Meta’s services occurred in 2021, with downtime lasting nearly six hours—a situation that prompted an apology from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
