WhatsApp Down: Users Faced Major Connection Issues Globally
The popular messaging app WhatsApp suffered a major global outage on Wednesday afternoon. That left users around the world struggling to connect to the service. Beginning around 1:45pm ET, reports started flooding in on social media from users unable to send or receive messages on the Meta-owned platform. The issues also affected other Meta services like Instagram, which saw problems with refreshing feeds and viewing stories.
According to outage tracking site Downdetector, there were over 20,000 reports of issues with WhatsApp. At the peak of the incident from across the globe. Countries like India, Brazil, UK and USA were some of the worst impacted with people unable to access the app on both mobile and desktop.
The Cause Behind the Outage
The exact cause of the widespread connectivity problems on WhatsApp is still unknown. Some experts speculate it could be due to a server-side technical glitch or even a potential cyberattack targeting Meta’s infrastructure. However, an official statement is awaited from the company regarding what led to millions of users being unable to use the popular messaging platform for hours.
Though temporary alternatives like SMS, Telegram and Facebook Messenger saw a surge in activity, WhatsApp continues to be the preferred and most widely used communication service for both personal and professional needs. The outage was a reminder of how dependent the world has become on such apps functioning smoothly at all times. The company will hope to resolve any technical issues quickly to restore normal service for its billions of users worldwide.
