Several Facebook and Instagram users reported problems while trying to access the social media platforms on Friday, as Meta appeared to face a global outage that affected users across regions.
(Also read: Facebook down, several Instagram users report issues amid global Meta outage)
Many users took to X to complain about the disruption, while others shared memes and jokes about the sudden outage. The issue appeared to affect both desktop and mobile users, with several people saying they were unable to refresh feeds, open profiles or load the platforms properly.
(Also read: Facebook and Instagram down? Meta apps hit by query errors; users report global outage)
Take a look here at the posts:
Users see error messages
Facebook users reported seeing an error message on the landing page which read, “Something went wrong. This may be because of a technical error that we're working to fix.”
{{/usCountry}}Facebook users reported seeing an error message on the landing page which read, “Something went wrong. This may be because of a technical error that we're working to fix.”
{{/usCountry}}Instagram users also received a similar error message on the app during the disruption. Some users said their feeds were not loading, while others reported being logged out or unable to access certain features.
Downdetector records spike in complaints
According to Downdetector, an online platform that provides users with real time information and outage reports for various digital services, Facebook outage reports peaked at around 7.20 pm with 1,353 complaints.
For Instagram, the disruption appeared to be more widespread. Downdetector data showed that it had received more than 7,500 reports of Instagram outage by 7.46 pm on Friday. The first reports were made at around 6.45 pm, indicating that the problem began building up gradually before complaints surged.
The outage prompted several users to question whether Meta’s services had gone down globally. Others used the moment to share light hearted memes, with many joking that they had rushed to X only to confirm whether Instagram and Facebook were actually down.
(Also read: ‘Is Instagram down?’: People ask on X as thousands face problems sending messages on Meta-owned app)
Meta yet to explain cause
Meta had not publicly shared a detailed explanation for the outage at the time reports emerged.
The Independent noted that Meta does not maintain an official public status page for consumer platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, making it difficult for users to independently verify the scale of such disruptions.
Meta’s business tools status page also did not immediately reflect the issues affecting users globally.