Users swiftly took to various social media platforms to voice their frustrations regarding recent outages affecting banking applications. One user lamented, “Why is the app not working?” while another expressed their discontent with, “Again!!!! And on pay day. When will I be able to access my app?”
In response to the mounting concerns, Lloyds Bank addressed the situation on X, reassuring customers:
Thanks for getting in touch. Sorry about this. Some customers are having issues with our app right now. Bear with us as we fix this. ^Will — Lloyds (@LloydsBank) July 31, 2025
HSBC, Halifax and Royal Bank of Scotland outages also reported
Recent data from the Treasury Committee highlights a troubling trend: over the past two years, nine of the UK’s largest banks and building societies have experienced more than a month’s worth of unplanned technical outages. This cross-party committee, comprising 11 members, sought insights from the UK chief executives of these lenders regarding the frequency of IT failures and potential compensation for affected customers.
This wave of outages follows a significant disruption for Barclays customers at the end of January, coinciding with payday for many and the deadline for self-assessment tax returns. Between January 2023 and February 2025, at least 158 incidents of IT failures were reported across these nine institutions, as indicated by the estimates provided to the committee.
Common culprits for these disruptions include issues with third-party suppliers, complications arising from system changes, and internal software malfunctions.
What is Downdetector?
Downdetector serves as a valuable resource for users experiencing difficulties with various services, including social media platforms like X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, as well as internet service providers like Virgin Media. This online platform allows users to report service issues, and it only registers an incident when the volume of reports significantly exceeds the typical levels for that time of day.
As stated on its website, Downdetector is “where people go when services don’t work.” The site actively monitors disruptions across key services, including banking, internet, and web hosting platforms.
Recommended reading:
For those interested in understanding the intricacies of service disruptions, Downdetector provides comprehensive insights into its methodology for collecting status information and detecting problems. Users are encouraged to participate by submitting reports on any issues they encounter, with problem indicators also sourced from social media and other online factors, as detailed by Downdetector.
