Meta-owned popular messaging app WhatsApp experienced a temporary outage on Saturday, leaving users in India unable to send messages and upload status. According to app outage tracking platform Down Detector, 81% of users reported issues with sending messages, while 16% reported problems with the overall app experience.
One user expressed frustration on social media, saying, “Is it just me or is your WhatsApp down as well? I am trying to upload a status and it’s taking forever to do so.” Despite the widespread outage, there was no immediate statement from WhatsApp regarding the issue.
Interestingly, some users also reported similar outages on Facebook and Instagram, both of which are also owned by Meta. This led to speculation about a potential larger technical issue affecting Meta’s platforms.
This recent outage comes on the heels of a major WhatsApp outage in late February, where users worldwide were unable to connect, send messages, or make calls through the app or WhatsApp Web. Over 9,000 complaints were reported to Down Detector on that day, highlighting the widespread impact of the outage.
In addition to the WhatsApp outage, users in India also faced disruptions in digital payments via Unified Payments Interface (UPI) earlier in the day. The outage affected millions of users, hindering local shopping, bill payments, and business transactions.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which operates UPI services, acknowledged the technical issues on social media, stating, “NPCI is currently facing intermittent technical issues, leading to partial UPI transaction declines. We are working to resolve the issue and will keep you updated. We regret the inconvenience caused.”
As both WhatsApp and UPI services experienced outages on the same day, it underscores the reliance on digital platforms for communication and financial transactions in today’s interconnected world. While these disruptions are temporary, they serve as a reminder of the importance of robust technical infrastructure to support our increasingly digital lifestyles.
