Facebook and Instagram experience outage in India following US disruption

On Monday morning 21 September, many Indian users found Facebook and Instagram inaccessible. The problem came after similar reports from the United States the previous day.

Issues reported by Indian users

Some users said the websites would not load, while others experienced difficulties with the mobile apps or could not log in. With millions relying on these platforms daily, the sudden disruption prompted many to wonder whether the fault lay with their own device or with the service itself.

Tracking the problem on Downdetector

Downdetector, a site that aggregates user‑submitted outage reports, showed a sharp rise in complaints for both platforms. Reports were logged under separate categories such as website, app and login for Facebook, and app, login, feed, posting and website for Instagram. While the tool indicates a surge in trouble, it does not provide an exact count of affected users.

Outage in the United States

Reuters reported that by 21:11 GMT on Sunday, more than 17,000 users in the United States had filed a complaint about Facebook, and over 5,000 about Instagram. The American reports preceded the Indian ones by several hours.

Meta’s response

Meta has not issued an official statement explaining the cause of the disruption. Reuters noted that the company did not respond to requests for comment. Consequently, the precise technical reason—whether a server fault, network issue or another problem—remains unconfirmed.

Impact on users

The outage sparked discussion on social media about the reliability of Meta’s services. However, the experience was not uniform; some users could still access the website while others struggled with the app or login process. The incident highlights the dependence of Indian internet users on a handful of global platforms.

What to do during an outage

When faced with similar problems, users are advised to check Downdetector or official Meta channels for updates, verify their own internet connection, and wait for the service to be restored.