Signal sees global outage, company says 'working hard to restore service'

Site status tracker DownDetector showed there were 2,167 reports about the issue as users reported they could open the app and send messages but were being delivered later.

Thousands of users across the world reported issues with Signal, the messaging application which has been downloaded millions of time during this month, as many said they were unable to send messages to their contacts.

The Signal messaging app logo is seen on a smartphone, in front of the same displayed same logo, in this illustration. (REUTERS)

Site status tracker DownDetector showed there were 2,167 reports about the issue as users reported they could open the app and send messages but were being delivered later. The issues seem to have started at about 8pm IST on Friday as the app showed a banner saying it is facing some technical difficulties. "Signal is experiencing technical difficulties. We are working hard to restore service as quickly as possible," the company also tweeted.

Signal has seen millions of downloads globally after WhatsApp updated its privacy policy that included a controversial change of linking data of WhatsApp users to Facebook's other products and services.

According to data from Sensor Tower, it was downloaded by 17.8 million users over the past seven days, a 62-fold rise from the prior week. WhatsApp was downloaded by 10.6 million users during the same period, a 17% decline.

"We've seen unprecedented growth this past week. It's safe to say that because of this record growth, we're even more interested in finding talented people," Brian Acton, who co-founded WhatsApp before selling it to Facebook and then co-founding the Signal Foundation, said in an email to Reuters a couple of days ago.

Acton also said Signal was working to improve its video and group chat functions, allowing it to compete better with WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, and other conferencing apps that have become vital to day-to-day life over the past year.

The non-profit Signal Foundation based in Silicon Valley, which currently oversees the app, was launched in February 2018 with Acton providing initial funding of $50 million. It has existed on donations since, with Tesla Inc chief executive officer Elon Musk among supporters.

(With agency inputs)