They’re some of the most popular social media apps around the world, but it appears Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have all crashed.
According to DownDetector, the issues started at around 16:44 BST (11:44 ET), and are affecting all users of the social platforms globally.
The three social media services, all owned by Facebook, run on a shared back end infrastructure, and other Facebook-owned services are also down, including Facebook Workplace and the Oculus website.
We’re aware that some people are experiencing issues with WhatsApp at the moment. We’re working to get things back to normal and will send an update here as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience!
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) October 4, 2021
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Soon after the first report came through, the hashtag #facebookdown was trending on Twitter, with users worldwide reporting issues connecting.
On Twitter, Facebook communications executive, Andy Stone said they were aware some people were having trouble accessing Facebook apps and products.
‘We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience,’ the executive said in a tweet.
The hashtag #instagramisdown and WhatsApp were both also trending on Twitter, with a number of users saying they checked their internet connection when they couldn’t get on Facebook.
Me: WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram are down.
Professor: That's where Twitter comes in pic.twitter.com/A9h3uVhfcn
— K.r.Y.s_🇨🇳🇰🇪🇹🇿 (@chreztoph) October 4, 2021
Every time Facebook and Instagram are down, it draws people to Twitter, with one user sharing a meme of Homer Simpson jumping from his house to Moe’s bar, with the Twitter logo over the door.
me after realizing whatsapp, instagram and facebook is down for everyone 😋 pic.twitter.com/4uk7wHDxMv
— amazon prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) October 4, 2021
There were multiple jokes along the same lines, with one showing a fast track race and the caption: ‘Me and my friends running to twitter to see if fb, whatsapp and insta are down.’
WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger are all owned by Facebook.
We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
— Facebook (@Facebook) October 4, 2021
It is unclear what has caused the issue, although it has disrupted all Facebook owned platforms, including the Oculus Virtual Reality gaming website.
NetBlocks, which tracks internet outages, tweeted: ‘Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger are currently experiencing outages in multiple countries.’
WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook all together are down. People are on Twitter to check if they’re down or not.
Meanwhile those who aren’t on Twitter!🤦🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/AWEknc47ri
— Kunal Yadav (@kunalyadav1098) October 4, 2021
Adding that the ‘incident not related to country-level internet disruptions or filtering.’
everyone on their way to Twitter when instagram and Facebook are down pic.twitter.com/SADm4o2WlI
— Cloud9ineDreams🌻 (@Cloud9ineDreams) October 4, 2021
When attempting to visit Instagram using a desktop web browser, it gives up a ‘5xx Server Error’ and Facebook simply says ‘this site can’t be reached.’
The last major outage of Facebook platforms was in June 2021, when people in the US, Morocco, Mexico and Brazil all reported not being able to connect. – Daily Mail