Meta’s suite of apps, including Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger, is returning to normal functionality after widespread disruptions left users unable to access services for hours on Wednesday. The company reported that it is “99% of the way there” in an update shared on X, noting some final checks were underway.
The disruptions, which started earlier in the day, were attributed to unspecified “technical issues,” according to a brief acknowledgment from Meta. While the exact cause remains unclear, the company’s status dashboard indicated “major disruptions” to business and transparency tools as of 4:30 PM PT. Other services were either resolved or in recovery mode by that time, with most apps appearing to be largely operational.
Reports of the outage surged throughout the day, with Downdetector logging over 90,000 issue reports for Facebook alone. Frustrated users turned to platforms like X and Bluesky to report their difficulties in accessing Meta’s apps. Even Meta’s own company site briefly displayed an error message reading, “This page isn’t available right now.”
This isn’t the first time Meta has faced a widespread outage. In March 2024, a similar “technical issue” caused a two-hour disruption across the same platforms. At that time, Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone, attributed the problem to a technical error, a line the company echoed in its explanation for Wednesday’s incident.
The latest outage highlights a growing challenge for Meta as it balances the scale and complexity of its interconnected platforms. With billions of users relying on these apps for communication, business, and social interaction, even brief disruptions can have significant ripple effects. Meta’s repeated attribution of such incidents to vague “technical issues” raises questions about the resilience of its infrastructure and transparency with users. While rapid recovery is commendable, the lack of detailed explanations may leave users and businesses wondering if more proactive measures are needed to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
Featured image courtesy of Tech Wire Asia
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