OpenAI and Meta Experience Outages Impacting Millions Across the UK

OpenAI and Meta both faced significant technical outages this week, leaving UK users grappling with disruptions to popular platforms, including ChatGPT, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. According to DownDetector UK, which tracks outages across major online services, the issues peaked late Wednesday, affecting users in cities like London, Manchester, and Glasgow.

At around 11.53 pm, OpenAI reported issues with its ChatGPT service, with the outage also impacting its API and Sora platforms. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) just after midnight, OpenAI stated:

“We’re experiencing an outage right now. We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix. Sorry and we’ll keep you updated!”

By early morning, OpenAI confirmed its platforms had recovered, restoring access to millions of users.

Meanwhile, Meta experienced widespread outages across its suite of apps, with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users reporting significant disruptions from 6 pm on Wednesday. Cities across the UK, including Cardiff, Nottingham, and Birmingham, were among the worst affected. DownDetector recorded 23,445 Facebook outages, 11,466 Instagram outages, and 18,646 reports for WhatsApp.

Meta provided updates throughout the evening, and by 10.26 pm, a spokesperson announced:

“We’re 99% of the way there – just doing some last checks. We apologise to those who’ve been affected by the outage.”

The OpenAI and Meta outages have now been resolved, according to both companies, with services restored and functioning as usual. While the root causes of these disruptions remain under review, OpenAI and Meta have reassured users that they are taking measures to ensure system reliability and prevent future interruptions.

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