Popular multimedia messaging app Snapchat experienced a major global outage on Sunday, leaving users in Pakistan and several other countries unable to send or receive photos, videos, and text messages.
According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks online service disruptions, thousands of users across the globe, including from Pakistan, the UK, and France, reported various issues with the app. The majority of affected users (57%) said they had been logged out of their accounts, while others reported problems with sharing (24%) and uploading content (18%).
The outage began gaining traction early Sunday, with a noticeable spike in reports coming from major Pakistani cities such as Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. Users from Punjab and Sindh were particularly vocal on social media, expressing frustration over the sudden disruption, according to Downdetector.
Despite the scale of the issue, Snapchat has not yet issued an official statement explaining the cause of the outage. However, tech analysts suggest that a server-side disruption or an update-related glitch could be the reason behind the global service failure.
Interestingly, some users reported that Snapchat works when accessed through a Virtual Private Network (VPN), raising further questions about whether the issue could be region-specific or tied to server access restrictions.
A heat map generated by Downdetector highlighted widespread trouble spots around the world, further confirming that the outage was not limited to one region. The platform noted that it flags outages only when the volume of problem reports significantly exceeds the typical daily average, which was clearly the case in this instance.
Based on the Downdetector map, problem reports were reported way beyond normal levels, with 53% users in Pakistan reporting issues with the app, 28% having problems sharing content and 19% not being able to upload anything on the app as of 6pm on Sunday.
