Messaging platform WhatsApp has gone down for users around the world.
Users began reporting issues with the platform on Tuesday morning
According to the service status website Down Detector, more than 12,000 reports were posted within half an hour.
Many users complained on social media that they couldn’t send or receive messages and that they were faced with a “connecting” message.
WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook parent company Meta, has about two billion active users worldwide and is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world.
The outage is likely to cause significant disruption.
The app, which offers end-to-end encryption for messages, is a popular method of group communication for social, work and parenting activities.
Some government ministers have even used it controversially.
According to internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks, the outage appears to have global reach.
“We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages and we’re working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson for Meta said.
