WhatsApp and Instagram abruptly went offline at around 11:30 PM IST on April 3, 2024. WhatsApp users could not send and receive messages, while Instagram users faced issues with refreshing their timelines. Both services have been restored to complete functionality. This is the second time in a month that Meta’s services have faced downtime.
Over 40,000 users reported outages on DownDetector for WhatsApp, making it the most affected service during the downtime. WhatsApp also acknowledged the issue on its X (formerly Twitter) profile. Instagram did not release an official statement over the same.
We know some people are experiencing issues right now, we're working on getting things back to 100% for everyone as quickly as possible
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) April 3, 2024
However, Meta’s official portal, which tracks the status of business APIs, reported a major disruption in WhatsApp services in CloudAPI. Although the company has not shared the exact reason for the downtime, Meta has confirmed that all services have been restored.
Thousands of users have posted on X about WhatsApp downtime. While some users were annoyed by the outage, others shared memes about the situation. The hashtag #WhatsAppDown is also trending on the platform across multiple parts of the world.
Me running to Twitter just to confirm WhatsApp is down #WhatsAppDown pic.twitter.com/XoUZQczQEN
— diego (@Dieggo) April 3, 2024
Literally everyone on their way to twitter when whatsapp is down.
Meanwhile, Mark zuckerberg trying Hard to Fix the issue #whatsappdown #WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/2kjHbEIZwC
— Dr Vivek Pandey (@Vivekpandey21) April 4, 2024
Reason for my breakup #whatsappdown pic.twitter.com/cZuuDQyKfO
— Jesus (@xxbunnuxx) April 3, 2024
Last month, Facebook and Instagram experienced a major global outage, during which users were logged out of their accounts. Some speculated that undersea fiber optic cables were damaged in the Red Sea region, impacting internet connectivity between Asia and Europe. However, the reason for yesterday’s outage on WhatsApp and Instagram is still unknown.
According to reports, users in Europe and America were more affected by the downtime because it occurred during the daytime. Users from Asia and India were also impacted, but only for a small number of users, as the outage occurred closer to midnight in these regions.
The posts shared on X, Reddit, and other platforms also showcase how much the modern world relies on social media platforms. A few years back, it was extremely rare for giants like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp to go offline completely. Given the all-time high usage of these services amongst the masses, even a small outage affects millions of users.
