On the evening of December 11, 2024, Meta’s services, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, experienced a major global outage, leaving millions of users unable to access or use the platforms effectively. The issues began around 11 PM IST, with users across India, the United States, and other regions reporting problems ranging from slow loading times and missing posts to complete inaccessibility of the apps.
According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks service disruptions, Instagram was particularly impacted, with more than 66,000 users reporting issues during the height of the outage. Facebook saw similar disruptions, with over 83,000 reports. WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads were also affected, causing significant frustration among users who rely on these platforms for communication and business.
In India, the outage was notably widespread, with around 31,000 users reporting problems on Instagram and 30,500 experiencing issues with WhatsApp. The United States also saw a massive spike in complaints, especially concerning Facebook and Instagram. While the outage lasted for several hours, the most severe disruption occurred between 11 PM and 3 AM local time in India. During this period, users found it impossible to access the platforms, while others faced problems such as missing messages and delayed notifications.
Meta quickly acknowledged the issue on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that a technical glitch was affecting users’ ability to access its services. The company assured users that its engineering teams were working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. By early morning on December 12, Meta reported that the situation was largely resolved, and most users could access the platforms again.
In a statement posted at 5:26 PM ET on December 12, Meta expressed its appreciation for users’ patience: “Thanks for bearing with us! We’re 99% of the way there — just doing some last checks. We apologize to those who’ve been affected by the outage.” Instagram followed up with a more casual update at 6:02 PM ET, saying, “Andddd we’re back — sorry for the wait, and thanks for bearing with us.”
This recent outage follows several similar disruptions in recent years. In March 2024, Meta faced another major issue affecting Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, and there were also widespread outages in October 2022. Despite Meta’s quick efforts to restore service, these recurring disruptions highlight the ongoing challenges the company faces in maintaining the stability of its vast global network. With billions of users worldwide depending on its platforms, any prolonged service interruption creates significant inconvenience and disruption to daily activities, communication, and business operations.
While Meta continues to invest in improving its infrastructure, incidents like these underscores the vulnerabilities of even the largest social media networks. For now, users are once again able to access the platforms, but Meta’s ongoing efforts to prevent future outages remain a crucial priority for the company moving forward.
