On March 5, Users Experienced Service Outages on Google Apps and Meta-Owned Social Networks
Users of Google services such as Gmail and YouTube, along with those using Meta-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram, experienced service disruptions on March 5th. Google acknowledged ongoing issues with Gmail, including increased error rates and delays in email delivery. Meanwhile, Facebook users encountered error messages and login difficulties, while Instagram users experienced challenges in refreshing their feeds.
During a peculiar occurrence on March 5, users of two major technology giants experienced service outages almost simultaneously. Users of Google-owned platforms such as Gmail and YouTube, as well as Meta-owned social networks Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, encountered disruptions in their services.
In the late evening, reports surfaced of issues affecting Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and other Meta services. Facebook users encountered error messages and login problems, while Instagram users were unable to refresh their feeds. Meta acknowledged the issue through an official post.
As services for Facebook and Instagram gradually returned to normal, some users of Google apps began reporting similar issues. Disruptions in services like Gmail and YouTube began around 9 PM IST, according to the internet traffic outage tracker platform Down Detector. Users reported being logged out of their Gmail and YouTube accounts, with some Gmail users experiencing difficulties sending emails. However, reports of issues with Google apps were comparatively fewer than those related to Meta platforms, and most of the complaints began to subside around 11 PM IST.
Google confirmed the service disruption, with the Team YouTube addressing loading issues in a post on X. On the Google Workspace Status Dashboard, Google acknowledged an ongoing issue with Gmail, citing elevated error rates and delays in email delivery among users.
Google later confirmed that Gmail had returned to normal, attributing the issues to a “surge in traffic.” According to the company’s status page, they witnessed increased traffic starting around 7:25 AM Pacific Time on March 5 and scaled up their systems to accommodate the additional load.
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