WhatsApp is working again after about two hours down worldwide. The outage shows why families and businesses need a backup way to reach people.
WhatsApp is working again after an outage that lasted about two hours and affected users around the world. The app, owned by Meta, began having trouble around 10 AM Central Africa Time. Many people saw a "connecting" message and could not send messages.
According to The Verge, WhatsApp Web, the version people use on a computer, showed an error telling users to make sure their computer had an active internet connection. Meta spokesperson Joshua Breckman said, as quoted by the BBC: "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."
WhatsApp is used by more than two billion people each month. Many rely on it for social plans, work and parenting groups. When it stops, those chats stop too.
This report does not say what caused the outage. The last huge one, in 2021, took nearly six hours and also took down Instagram, Messenger, Oculus and Facebook. Meta blamed a configuration change to its routers. Nothing here says the two outages are linked.
Outages like this are still relatively rare. If your family or business depends on the app, the steps in the alert box above cover how to stay reachable next time.
Keep a backup way to reach key people, such as saved phone numbers, so a WhatsApp outage does not cut you off.
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