Popular social media platform Instagram is currently experiencing a global outage, leaving thousands of users unable to send direct messages or properly access the app.
The disruption began on Wednesday morning and quickly triggered a wave of complaints across social media, particularly on X, where users posted screenshots of error messages and asked whether the platform was down.
According to Downdetector, more than 10,000 users in the United States reported issues, while around 250 complaints were logged in India. Reports indicate the problems are concentrated in major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C..
Most complaints relate to direct messaging failures, with users saying their DMs are not delivering or disappearing mid-conversation.
Others reported slow feed updates, app crashes and server connection errors. The outage has disrupted communication for both individuals and business accounts, highlighting the platform’s role as a key social networking and messaging hub worldwide.
