Instagram and Facebook messenger down for thousands as users report issues

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Instagram and Facebook messenger down for thousands as users report issues

The issues are affecting the messaging systems on both platforms

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Instagram and Facebook users in both the US and the UK are reporting issues as the messaging system on the platforms face outages.

Social media users began reporting issues at approximately 7am EST today (29 October), according to the website DownDetector, which monitors tech outages.

While Facebook itself has only been reported as having 'possible problems', reports specifically for Instagram and the Facebook Messenger app began to spike within the last couple hours, prompting Downdetector to confirm: "User reports indicate problems at Instagram."

Social media users took to Twitter to share news of the outages (X)
Social media users took to Twitter to share news of the outages (X)

Some users have struggled to load chats, while others have been left with messages reading 'sending' for long periods of time as a result of the issues.

Many social media users resorted to using another social media site, Twitter, to share the news and make other people aware.

One jokingly wrote: "Instagram is down!! If I ignored your DM no I didn't!!"

Another added: "Me coming on Twitter to check if Instagram is down or what."

The reason for the issues is currently unclear.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

Topics: Facebook, Instagram, Social Media

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.