Instagram has confirmed that its app is fully operational once again, following a brief outage earlier today. In a statement posted on their Instagram Comms Twitter account, the company apologized for the disruption, stating, “Instagram is back! Sorry for the trouble – we had a brief outage earlier and resolved the issue that caused it”.
A representative from Meta, Instagram’s parent company, acknowledged the technical issue that prevented some users from accessing the platform earlier in the day. The representative expressed regret for any inconvenience caused and confirmed that the problem was quickly resolved for the affected users.
On May 21, the Instagram outage caused a flurry of activity on other social media platforms, with users expressing their concerns on Twitter. Phrases such as “My Instagram,” “Y’all Instagram,” and “My IG” rapidly gained traction, accompanied by the prevailing hashtag “#instagramdown.”
According to Downdetector.com, a website that tracks app service disruptions, there was a significant surge in user reports of Instagram outages beginning at 3:09 pm PT, with the number of notifications steadily increasing.
This event marks Instagram’s most recent major outage since September 22.
In related news, Meta recently unveiled the “Meta Verified” subscription service, available to paid users of both Instagram and Facebook. The service offers a verified blue check-mark and additional features, aiming to enhance authenticity and security across Meta’s platforms.
Meta Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new program, stating, “This week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support.” Pricing for Meta Verified starts at $11.99/month on the web and $14.99/month on iOS. The service will initially be available in Australia and New Zealand, with more countries to follow.
