ChatGPT down: Users report ‘unusual activity detected’ error amid outage

OpenAI chatbot ChatGPT was down for thousands of users in the United States on Tuesday afternoon, as per DownDetector.

Updated on: Jul 16, 2025, 08:09:33 IST

By Shamik Banerjee

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OpenAI chatbot ChatGPT was down for thousands of users in the United States on Tuesday afternoon, as per DownDetector. As of this writing, more than 3,400 people reported an outage with ChatGPT in the United States, DownDetector, a platform that tracks such outages based on users' reports, showed.

More than 3,400 people reported an outage with ChatGPT in the United States on Tuesday afternoon. (DownDetector)

Users of OpenAI's chatbot revealed that they were unable to load chat history and got an "unusual error" detected message when trying to access their chats. As per DownDetector, 82% of users reported an outage with ChatGPT, 12% with the website and 6% with the app.

OpenAI Responds To Outage

OpenAI responded to the ChatGPT outage on Tuesday, saying that they have identified the issue and are investigating it. The company said that ChatGPT's record mode, Sora and Codex were experiencing problems. A mitigation will be implemented soon, it added.

OpenAI acknowledged the error with ChatGPT on it's status page. (OpenAI website)

"We have identified that users are experiencing elevated levels of errors...," the message on OpenAI's service status page read.

This story is being updated.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shamik Banerjee
Shamik is a journalist covering the United States for Hindustan Times. He has more than four years of experience reporting on US politics, sports, and major breaking stories across fast-moving cycles. He previously worked at Times Now and Sportskeeda, building strong newsroom instincts and digital storytelling skills. At HT.com, he focuses on day-to-day coverage of US political developments while also handling high-impact stories that demand speed, accuracy, clarity, and context under pressure. Shamik has extensive experience covering NFL game days over the past two years, coordinating live updates, analysis, and explainers. He is particularly drawn to large news moments such as US elections and the Super Bowl, where he thrives at the news desk working alongside the team. He holds degrees in Media Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia and English Literature from Jadavpur University. Before entering journalism, he briefly worked in digital marketing and political consultancy roles. Currently a Senior Content Producer at HT Digital, he is driven by curiosity, discipline, and a constant desire to explore new and obscure topics. Outside work, he enjoys reading, films, sports, and learning continuously.Read More

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