Instagram users are experiencing widespread messaging issues, with thousands reporting problems in accessing and sending direct messages (DMs) on the platform.
According to Downdetector, user-submitted reports began to surge around 5:14 PM on Tuesday, with over 2,000 incidents logged so far. This latest technical disruption follows a series of similar outages on Meta’s social media platforms, underscoring a recurring issue that affects millions worldwide.
In response, many users took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their frustrations. One user humorously posted, “Ignored your DM? No, I didn’t!! Instagram is down!!” while others checked with fellow users, asking, “Is it me, or is everyone else also not able to send DMs on Instagram?” The outage, which continues to affect many globally, has yet to prompt an official statement from Instagram or its parent company, Meta, regarding the cause or expected resolution.
This is not the first time Meta-owned platforms have encountered significant technical setbacks. Just weeks prior, a similar disruption affected thousands of Instagram and Facebook users in the U.S.
The October 15 incident saw over 12,000 Facebook and 5,000 Instagram outage reports at its peak. Earlier this year, a major outage affected both platforms on a larger scale, impacting hundreds of thousands of users globally for more than two hours.
Industry experts note that frequent outages on large-scale social media platforms are often linked to server overloads or scheduled maintenance issues. However, some believe these recurring disruptions could indicate underlying infrastructure challenges as social media platforms continue to scale globally.
For those impacted, it’s best to stay updated on Instagram’s official status page or monitor Downdetector for real-time information.