Instagram and Facebook Suffer Major Global Outage

Instagram and Facebook experienced a significant outage on Tuesday, affecting thousands of users worldwide. The problems began around 5 p.m. Eastern Time (10 p.m. UK time), according to tracking website Downdetector, which reported a sudden surge in error reports at that time.

Users reported difficulties loading new pictures, viewing profiles, and accessing various features of the apps. While some parts of the platforms continued to function temporarily, they often displayed error messages before failing entirely. The outage was not limited to a single region, with reports coming in from across the globe.

Downdetector, which monitors outages by collecting status reports from multiple sources, saw a sharp increase in complaints shortly after 2:30 p.m. PDT. Initially, more than 10,000 users reported issues with Instagram, but that number quickly climbed to over 18,000 by late evening as the outage persisted. The majority of reports cited problems with the mobile application and website.

As of Tuesday evening, Instagram had not publicly responded to requests for comment regarding the cause or expected duration of the outage. Users turned to other social media platforms and forums to express frustration and share updates, while many were left unable to access their feeds or communicate through the services.