Facebook and Instagram Hit by Widespread Outages as Thousands Report Access Problems

Meta-owned social media platforms Facebook and Instagram experienced widespread disruptions on Sunday, leaving thousands of users unable to access their accounts or use key features through both mobile applications and websites.

According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks service interruptions through reports submitted by users, the number of complaints concerning Facebook in the United States reached 4,808 by 7:46 a.m. GMT. Around 63 percent of affected users reported difficulties accessing the Facebook website.

Instagram users also experienced significant disruption. By 8:18 a.m. GMT, Downdetector had received 2,829 reports from users in the United States, with many complaints linked to the mobile application, loading feeds and accessing accounts.

Reports from several countries suggested that the incident was not limited to the United States. Users in parts of Asia and other regions also reported irregular access to Meta’s services. A Reuters check found that Facebook and Instagram were operating inconsistently in Singapore, indicating that the disruption may have had an international scope.

Other outage reports showed that some Facebook users received messages informing them that their accounts were temporarily unavailable because of a technical issue. Instagram users, meanwhile, reported difficulties refreshing their feeds, publishing content or opening the application.

The number of reports recorded by Downdetector does not necessarily represent the total number of people affected. The platform collects complaints voluntarily submitted by users, meaning that the true scale of an outage may be considerably larger or may vary depending on location.

At the time of the initial reports, Meta had not publicly provided a detailed explanation for the disruption or confirmed what caused the technical problems. It was therefore unclear whether the incident resulted from a server failure, software issue or another problem affecting the company’s infrastructure.

Facebook and Instagram are among the world’s most widely used digital platforms, serving individuals, media organisations, public institutions and businesses. Even relatively brief disruptions can therefore affect communication, advertising, online commerce and access to information across several countries.

Users experiencing difficulties were advised to avoid repeatedly changing passwords or reinstalling applications before the company confirmed that normal service had been restored. Similar disruptions are generally resolved centrally by the platform operator rather than through changes to individual devices.

The latest outage once again highlights the growing dependence of global communication and commercial activity on a limited number of major digital platforms.