Reports have emerged of a significant WhatsApp outage affecting users across the UK and beyond, with a notable surge in complaints this afternoon. According to data from the outage tracking website Downdetector, thousands of users globally are experiencing difficulties with the Meta-owned messaging platform. The majority of issues appear concentrated in London, although users in the northwest of England and the Glasgow area are also reporting problems.
Details of the Outage
Statistics from Downdetector indicate that approximately 49% of users encountering issues are unable to send messages, while 46% are facing difficulties with the app itself. A smaller segment, around 4%, is struggling to utilize the voice feature on WhatsApp.
As the situation unfolds, the number of reports has escalated dramatically, with over 100 users in the UK alone indicating problems, a stark increase from just six an hour prior. The outage is not limited to the UK; users from various countries, including India and the United States, are also experiencing disruptions. In India, more than 3,000 reports have been logged, with over 90% of these related to message-sending issues. The United States has seen nearly the same number of reports, highlighting the global nature of the problem.
Social media has become a platform for users to voice their frustrations, with individuals from Canada, Brazil, and Singapore sharing their experiences. One Reddit user from Canada noted, “Yeah Canada here, can’t send messages, photos in any group chats, direct chats working fine,” while another user on X expressed, “Cannot send messages to group… WhatsApp down?”
Additionally, some users have reported challenges accessing other Meta-owned platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. This current outage is not an isolated incident; earlier this year, WhatsApp faced a significant disruption that impacted at least 68,000 users, along with other platforms like Facebook Messenger and TikTok.
In a related note, the challenges faced by WhatsApp users echo recent issues experienced by Sage, a payroll management system that also suffered a global outage, affecting financial account access for numerous businesses. Sage has acknowledged a “partial outage” across multiple regions, including North America and Europe, and is actively investigating the matter.
