Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp experienced a disruption due to a Meta outage.

      Meta experienced a challenging Friday morning. A significant outage impacted Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger for users globally, beginning just before 10am ET. By midday, recovery efforts were underway, albeit inconsistently across different regions.

      The issues seemingly started with WhatsApp and then expanded. Facebook users were unexpectedly logged out, encountering messages such as “Query Error” or "Sorry, something went wrong," making it impossible for them to log back in. Some users were able to access the app but faced difficulties with posting, commenting, reacting, searching, or loading Stories and Marketplace.

      What Down Detector revealed

      The outage-tracking site Down Detector reported a notable surge in complaints. Facebook was the hardest hit, with reports exceeding 130,000; Instagram had about 9,500 reports, while WhatsApp had significantly fewer. Most of the issues reported across the three platforms were related to the app itself and then to login problems.

      These figures are based on user reports, so they reflect complaints rather than Meta’s internal data. However, reports came in from various countries, including the Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Spain, and South Africa, suggesting a widespread issue rather than a localized problem.

      Impact on businesses

      The disruption affected more than just user browsing. Meta's status page indicated “high disruptions” across its business services, including Facebook Ads Manager, the Messenger Platform, the Messenger API for Instagram, and the WhatsApp Business Platform. Advertisers were unable to create or modify ads, prompting Meta to apologize “for any inconvenience.” The timing was particularly unfortunate being a Friday.

      Meta acknowledges the issues but not the cause

      Meta confirmed the disruptions on its status page, noting “high disruptions” and stating that its engineering teams were “actively working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.” However, the company did not disclose the cause of the outage or the number of affected users.

      There has yet to be clarification on whether this was due to a configuration error, an infrastructure failure, or another reason. Recovery efforts were already in progress, with Meta marking some services, like ad delivery, as resolved, while others were “in the process of being restored.” On the consumer side, Facebook was returning to near-normal functionality and reports on Down Detector were decreasing, although some users continued to face issues such as an empty Stories bar, outdated feeds, or “Try Again” errors.

      The extent of the situation is significant: Meta’s apps serve billions, and even a brief outage can create a ripple effect through messaging, business operations, and logins beyond just news feeds. The day was eventful for Meta, which earlier announced free AI glasses for every blind U.S. veteran. This situation is still developing; updates will be provided along with Meta’s explanation and confirmation of resolution.