WhatsApp Web appeared to suffer a widespread outage on Wednesday, May 20, with users across the United States, India, and several Asian countries reporting disruptions while trying to access the platform.
Many users said they were unexpectedly redirected to Facebook’s login page while attempting to scan their passkey through the WhatsApp mobile app to log into WhatsApp Web.
The issue triggered a wave of complaints on social media, with users from countries including Malaysia and Singapore also reporting problems accessing the service. WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta Platforms, has not yet issued an official statement regarding the disruption.
Downdetector Shows Spike In Complaints
According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks real-time outages and service interruptions, reports of WhatsApp issues surged over the past hour. In India, most complaints were recorded around 5:16 am IST, while users in the United States reported major problems around 5:12 am IST.
The outage-tracking website displayed a message stating, “User reports show possible problems with WhatsApp,” as complaints continued to rise from different parts of the world.
Website And Login Issues Reported Most Frequently
Downdetector data showed that nearly 47% of affected users in the United States reported problems with WhatsApp’s website, while 22% experienced app-related issues. Another 19% complained about login failures.
More than 200 users in the US alone reported problems with WhatsApp Web during the outage window. Several users also claimed they were being redirected to Facebook’s login page instead of accessing WhatsApp Web normally, sparking confusion online.
No Official Response Yet
Although WhatsApp has not confirmed the cause of the outage, the volume of complaints across regions suggests the disruption affected a significant number of users globally. The issue also reignited discussions around the dependence on Meta’s interconnected platforms and authentication systems.
