Meta's suite of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, experienced a major global outage early Thursday, leaving users around the world unable to access the services.
The disruption began around 2 AM (Manila Time), according to the outage-tracking website Downdetector. Users worldwide reported widespread issues, including problems with app functionality, website access, and server connections.
While Meta’s platforms are typically designed to operate independently, their shared technical infrastructure means that failures often cascade, affecting all apps simultaneously. This outage temporarily disrupted systems used by hundreds of millions of people daily.
Meanwhile, Meta acknowledged the outage through official channels on X (formerly Twitter).
"Hi, we know there’s a technical issue impacting some people’s ability to access Instagram," it wrote on the official Instagram page on X/Twitter.
"We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and are sorry for any inconvenience."
WhatsApp’s official page posted much the same status, saying it was "aware of some issues accessing" the app.
"We’re actively working on a solution and starting to see a return to normal for most people. We expect things to be back to normal shortly."
By the end of the hour, services had begun to recover partially, and most apps appeared to be functioning normally, although isolated problems persisted for some users.
Previously, Meta explored integrating its apps for seamless interoperability, allowing users to message across platforms, but regulatory concerns have slowed these efforts.
Meta has not yet revealed the cause of the outage.
