A widespread outage has affected Meta's suite of apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, leaving users around the world struggling to access these popular platforms. The cause of the outage remains unknown, but Meta has confirmed a "technical issue" in a post on X, apologizing for the inconvenience and assuring users that they are working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

According to reports from users on X and Bluesky, as well as downtime tracking websites like Downdetector, the outage began around 1 PM ET on Wednesday. Downdetector, which monitors user reports of outages, saw a significant spike in reports for Facebook, with over 97,000 reports filed, compared to the average of 16 user reports per hour. Instagram also experienced a notable increase, with over 67,000 reports.

While Downdetector's data does not provide exact measurements of the outage's scope, it offers valuable insights into the extent of the disruptions and the duration of the outage. Additionally, Meta's status page for its business products revealed "major disruptions" to the Facebook Ads Manager, as well as issues with Workplace from Meta, which is currently "recovering from disruptions."

The impact of the outage is still unclear, but it has likely caused significant disruptions to businesses and individuals relying on Meta's apps for communication, marketing, and other purposes. As the outage continues, users are taking to social media to express their frustration and share their experiences.

Meta has not provided further comment on the cause of the outage or an estimated timeline for resolution. The company's response to the issue will be closely watched, as it has faced scrutiny in the past for its handling of outages and technical issues. As the situation develops, users will be eagerly awaiting a return to normal service and a explanation for the disruption.

In the meantime, the outage serves as a reminder of the importance of diversifying online platforms and services, as well as the need for companies like Meta to prioritize infrastructure resilience and invest in robust backup systems to minimize the impact of technical issues.

Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.