Facebook and Instagram have undergone significant changes in recent years. The company behind them, Meta, has been shifting its focus to other areas of technology.
In 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta Platforms, Inc., or Meta for short. This name change was part of a larger effort to distance the company from its struggling Facebook app.
The rebranding effort was sparked by Facebook's declining user growth and increasing competition from other social media platforms.
What Happened to Facebook and Instagram
Facebook and Instagram went down for several hours, with users reporting issues starting around 10:45am EST.
The outage affected around 500,000 Facebook users, with Down Detector showing a spike in reports mid-morning.
People tried to log into their Facebook accounts but received a prompt to log back in, while Instagram users saw a "couldn't load posts" message.
The issues were caused by problems with Meta's backend services, which led to internal server errors and timeouts.
Here's an interesting read: Instagram and Facebook Are down
A security company, Cisco's ThousandEyes, analyzed the outage and found that it was likely caused by an issue with a backend service such as authentication.
Users experienced problems like error messages and stories not loading correctly or getting sent, with some even joking about the outage on social media.
Meta eventually responded to the issues, calling it a "technical issue" and stating they were working to get things to function as usual.
The outage lasted from around 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time to 2:30 p.m., with users able to access the platforms again once the issues were resolved.
Meta and Instagram both posted updates on their respective social media platforms, saying they were working to fix the issue and that the apps were back to normal.
Broaden your view: Facebook Whatsapp Instagram Outage
Expert Reaction and Analysis
Experts from Cisco's ThousandEyes team analyzed the Meta outage and found that the issue was likely caused by a problem with a backend service such as authentication.
The team observed that Meta's web servers remained reachable, but users attempting to log in received error messages, suggesting a backend service was the cause of the issue.
By 16:50 UTC, ThousandEyes saw Meta services gradually recover, and by 18:40 UTC, the incident appeared to be resolved.
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Experts Analyze Meta Outage
Experts from Cisco's ThousandEyes Internet Intelligence team have analyzed the Meta outage, offering more detail on what happened.
According to the ThousandEyes team, Meta's web servers remained reachable, but users attempting to login received error messages, suggesting a backend service, such as authentication, as the cause of the issue.
The researchers observed that Meta services gradually recovered by approximately 16:50 UTC, with many users able to successfully access the application.
By 18:40 UTC, the incident appeared to be resolved, but some users still reported issues accessing their accounts, particularly with two-factor authentication.
The majority of problems were due to a two-factor authentication issue, with SMS codes not working on the site.
The ThousandEyes team's analysis suggests that the outage was likely caused by an issue with a backend service, such as authentication.
The widespread nature of the outage suggests that the problem was a single point of failure, something relied upon by all of Meta's services.
The precise cause of the outage remains to be determined, but experts are working to identify the root cause.
A fresh viewpoint: Why Is Instagram and Facebook Not Working
The Reaction
Many users turned to X, formerly Twitter, after Facebook and Instagram went down.
Others questioned whether they were being hacked, but ultimately realized it was just a server issue.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, couldn't resist a smug post, writing "If you're reading this post, it's because our servers are working."
For more insights, see: How to Find X Account Username
WhatsApp's Timeline
WhatsApp's Timeline was marked by significant milestones. It was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, two former Yahoo employees.
In 2012, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion, a move that expanded the messaging app's user base.
By 2015, WhatsApp had reached 800 million monthly active users, a testament to its rapid growth.
The app's encryption features were a major draw for users concerned about online privacy.
In 2016, WhatsApp introduced end-to-end encryption for all conversations, a feature that ensured only the sender and receiver could read messages.
By 2018, WhatsApp had reached 1.5 billion monthly active users, solidifying its position as a leading messaging app.
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The app's simplicity and ease of use were key factors in its widespread adoption.
In 2019, WhatsApp introduced a feature that allowed users to forward messages to only five contacts at a time, a move aimed at reducing the spread of misinformation.
By 2020, WhatsApp had reached 2 billion monthly active users, cementing its status as a global messaging giant.
If this caught your attention, see: Meta to Let Users Link Whatsapp with Instagram and Facebook
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