Snapchat outage affects thousands; users unable to send messages
Instant messaging and picture-sharing app Snapchat appears to have seen a brief outage today, i.e. Friday (September 30), affecting thousands worldwide. The inability to send or receive messages on the platform was cited as an issue by users. Additionally, the app's server connections and overall functionality have also been impacted. According to Downdetector, over 1,100 users reported issues after 11 am.
Why does this story matter?
Outages on social media websites have now become commonplace. The majority of businesses refuse to publicly admit when something goes wrong. People frequently use Snapchat to share videos of their day-to-day lives. Therefore, a disruption, no matter how brief, could have an impact on many, globally. The social media giant is yet to release a statement addressing the cause of the issue.
Over 1,100 outages have been reported today
Several users faced issues with their Snapchat accounts. The numbers reached over 1,100 after 11 am today. The problems were largely related to the inability to send or receive messages, and issues with the app and server connections. Downdetector's report shows that over 31% of the issues were associated with the app, 30% with the server connection, and over 39% with message sharing.
Public's response to the issue
Twitter is the most preferable option for individuals for occasions related to outages. As usual, Snapchat users took to Twitter to find out the status of other users. While some were seriously concerned about the issues, others only ended up organizing a meme and GIF fest. You could witness a range of reactions from different Snapchat users around the world.
Here's one of the hilarious responses by a user
Another user was simply concerned
Is there any response from Snapchat?
Snapchat is yet to say anything about the outage, be it the inability to send and receive messages or issues related to the app/server. The frequency of the reports by users has drastically fallen after 2 pm, but Downdetector still shows some reported issues in the following hours, meaning some users are still facing the problems (as of writing this report).
