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A long list of Apple services are currently fully or partially down, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and more. The full list of services experiencing outages for many customers, according to Apple's system status page: App Store Mac App Store Apple Arcade Apple Books Apple Fitness+ Apple Music Apple Podcasts Apple Sports Apple TV Channels Apple TV+ App Store Connect Apple Podcasts Connect TestFlightApple Business Manager and Apple School Manager have also experienced issues today. Some users are able to access certain features offered by these services, so your mileage may vary as Apple works to fix the issues. Update: Apple's services are working again for some users.Tag: System Status This article, "App Store and More Down as Apple Services Suffer Widespread Outage [Updated]" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

It looks as if PSN is down across several regions at least, and is quite possibly a global problem. It's highly unusual and rare to see such outages, so here's what we know so far about when it started, what it's affecting, and if there's any sign of a recovery at the moment. The outage began at 09:51 PST / 12:51 EST / 16:51 GMT today and is currently affecting PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and web services across the board. Is PSN down? As you can see from a snapshot below of the official PlayStation Network Service Status page, it does not look good, with issues affecting all facets of the ecosystem. Players have been reporting errors and issues across account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Direct. While your experience will vary depending on your region, we do know that the US, the UK, Australia, Japan, and continental Europe have all been hit by the outage which leads us to believe it might be a global problem. Beyond the red dots that immediately notify users of issues or problem, each subset (Account Management, PlayStation Video, et al) has been updated with a similar message. The Gaming and Social drop-down, for example, states "You might have difficulty launching games, apps or network features. We're working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience." We've been able to test and 'recreate' the outage on almost all fronts: we can't get online in games, we can't look at the PS Store on the web or mobile, and I can't even upload the screenshot of my failed Helldivers 2 login for you - however, we could access and seemingly use the PlayStation Store as normal on PS5. (Image credit: Sony) PlayStation Network reports on Down Detector are spiking right now, which means more and more people are reporting problems. Millions of PlayStation owners in Europe will be finishing work around this time too, leaving many disappointed if they had online gaming plans. With such a widespread outage across all of PlayStation's services, folks will be up against it if they want to do anything from redeeming a code and buying a game to jumping into the main online game of the moment in Helldivers 2. With the imminent release of Rise of the Ronin and Dragon's Dogma 2, this is seriously unfortunate timing and could well affect many players looking to download the new games in preparation. With no official word on when a fix will be deployed from Sony or PlayStation, this looks like an outage that we'll just have to wait out. As to what caused the outage, we just can't be sure, but we will keep this page updated with any more news we get in terms of a fix, online elements coming back online, and any reasons for the outage. You may also like... PS5 Pro specs leak hints at a huge step up in powerOur full guide to the best PS5 games goingDragon's Dogma 2 review - the long-awaited sequel is an absolute thrill View the full article

Facebook is down, with and Meta itself citing "major disruptions". And Downdetector is also indicating outages, with Instagram also appearing to be down in some regions. After checking the Facebook app on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I was informed the session had expired and I needed to log in again. After putting in the password, Facebook appeared to do a virtual hiccup and then tell me there was something wrong. As a result, this also means Facebook Messenger is also down and boots users back to a login screen where their credentials don't appear to be accepted. However, I can still login to Instagram, while some of my colleagues report that they can't. So it looks like the outage is somewhat sporadic. This story is developing so read on. So when I try to login to Facebook or Facebook Messenger I get a pop up saying an "unexpected error occurred" and no joy in getting around it. Taking a look at Downdetector and Facebook has just had a huge outage spike. (Image credit: Ookla ) Apparently WhatsApp users are reporting outages too, but my WhatsApp app is working fine. This is odd. (Image credit: Ookia) it's hard to tell, but it would appear that these outages are partially region-specific. WhatsApp and Instagram are fine for me, but Facebook isn't letting me log in. However, others are saying they can't get into Instagram and Downdetector is flagging WhatsApp outages. Ah! News Editor Mark Wilson has just pointed out that WhatsApp has only 300 or so outage reports, while Facebook's outage reports are at 250,000. So it looks like Meta's main social network is bearing the brunt of the outage. As one might expect X, the social media site formerly known as Facebook, is awash with people flagging Facebook outages. Has Facebook and Messenger logged you out and then rejects your password?Don't panic, you're not alone, LOADS of people seem to be experiencing this right now.I guess we just gotta wait and see what the heck this is pic.twitter.com/YiQz17AeXRMarch 5, 2024 See more "Has Facebook" Yes it has pic.twitter.com/PsipryfCrGMarch 5, 2024 See more No official Facebook statement has landed in our inboxes, but Andy Stone, Communications Director at Meta, tweeted (or is that X-ed) that: "We're aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now." We're aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now.March 5, 2024 See more Ever the intrepid tech journalist, our own US Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff was quick to ask Andy Stone what's going on. Can you tell us what happened? It seems unusual for all services to go down together.March 5, 2024 See more Anyway, here's the Downdetector image for Instagram. Looks like things ain't rosy on Meta's tech side. (Image credit: Ookla) Also for our American readers, don't put this down to Super Tuesday conspiracy theories. I know it's tempting but no, just no. One of the great things about such outages is they spawn a load of quick and dirty memes. See below! #instagramdown#facebookdown When Facebook and Instagram went down Everyone : pic.twitter.com/KvlOy0fo5zMarch 5, 2024 See more So what could have caused this outage? Well there's a myriad of regions. It could be a problem with a clutch of servers or a Facebook data center could have gone down. Equally, there could have been a misconfigured cloud instance, as Facebook uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for its global operations. So something wrong on that side could be the culprit. So what do you do now that Facebook is down? Well I guess you'll have to find old school friends and crushes on X or in old photos, rather than lurking on the social network. Or you could just go outside... Or you could just be a bit of prat on X, much like the below tweet from Elon Musk. If you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are workingMarch 5, 2024 See more So Meta's Facebook login page is citing "Major disruptions". The phrase that comes to mind rhymes with 'go hit'. (Image credit: Meta) Oh, if you're just getting to this live blog, don't worry you've not been hacked. Facebook is just down. For more hacking information, heck out TechRadar Pro's article on Social media hacking: how to protect your account against intruders. Despite the outages, Instagram is still up and running for me. That means I can continue to feel inadequate in the face of fitness influencers and people who can cook really rather nice meals or have massive Lego collections. If you want some social media goodness to keep you amused while facebook is out, then check out the TechRadar TikTok account. There we've got a load of cool videos of the latest and most interesting consumer tech. And here's a video of me making a fool out of myself on it... The whole outage has come a day after Instagram did some notable changes to its process of direct messaging between users. So maybe some code gremlin or misconfigured cloud server has had some cascade effect after the change was implemented. Of course, this is just speculation on my part. Sometimes you have to fix that typo https://t.co/bigVZWyAeuMarch 4, 2024 See more Remember that bit on The Social Network when Mark Zuckerberg (played by Michael Cera) said "We don't crash ever"? Yeah that's not aged well. FYI, if you've not watched The Social Network then fix that right away as it's excellent. Another problem with Facebook being down is where does your uncle with the questionable views post, or comment, on equally dubious content? Makes you think... When Facebook's login problems are fixed, I really hope Mark Zuckerberg responds with something like: "Meta late than never." Yeha, ok, that's not great but I haven't had enough coffee today. View the full article

A swift esponse to a major outage can make a big difference in regards to retaining customer confidence.View the full article

If you use Plusnet broadband in the UK and have been struggling with your broadband connection today, you aren't alone – a "major" outage hit the network earlier this afternoon and is continuing to cause problems. According to Downdetector, the issues started at just after 4pm GMT and, at the time of writing, there have been over 30,000 reports of problems from Plusnet users. These are mostly related to "landline internet", with users reporting either "no signal" or "total blackout". Plusnet has now acknowledged the issue and gave us this statement: "Some of our customers are unable to use their broadband connection. We are working to get them back online as soon as possible. We’re very sorry for any inconvenience caused.” Downdetector (above) showed a peak of about 30,000 reports on Plusnet broadband outages, and the number remains high at the time of writing. (Image credit: Downdetector) According to some commenters on both Downdetector and X (formerly Twitter), the issues could be related to Plusnet's DNS server, which is effectively a phone book that turns domains or websites into IP addresses. This because some are finding that using a VPN circumvents the issues on their Plusnet broadband. Others on X have also found success by changing their router's DNS settings. You can read how to do this in our guide on how to change your DNS settings, but it's also possible to do this at a router level by logging into your Plusnet Hub router, going to its Advanced settings and then turning the 'Auto' DNS setting off. You should then be able to choose a different DNS, which may be a workaround. However, it's probably wise to wait until Plusnet expands on its initial statement and releases some further advice, if the issues persist and there's no imminent fix. Plusnet responds Plusnet has now officially responded with the statement above about its broadband issues, but it's also replied to some commenters on X who are experiencing a particularly blue version of Blue Monday. As you can see below, it states that it's "investigating a major service outage". In a separate comment, Plusnet's X support said: "We don't have an estimated fix time but are working hard to get this resolved quickly for you." Hi Tony, we're investigating a major service outage so we can't assist at present I'm afraid. Please bear with us and I'll check back in with you tomorrow to see if there's still an issue we need to sort out for you. - Adam - Plusnet SheffieldJanuary 15, 2024 See more While it's scant consolation to Plusnet users, it appears that several hundred BT broadband and TalkTalk users are also reporting broadband issues this afternoon – although nowhere near on the scale of Plusnet. We've requested comment from Plusnet about a timescale for a resolution and any further advice it has for users, and will update this page when we hear back. View the full article

I am a proud Three UK customer and have been a champion of their services for quite some time; after all, it offers the world’s cheapest unlimited data plan and I’ve got one (a so-called 5G broadband). Today however, I find myself using a backup broadband service in order to get work done (and write this article). Three has been down for nearly two hours, impacting not only phone calls and mobile data on its network and its MVNO partners but also - and more significantly - mobile broadband data used by thousands of small businesses, professionals and startups across the UK. If you have been impacted by this and are reading this once the dust has settled, it might be a good idea to look at how you can get a backup broadband package to mitigate any sudden loss in connectivity, delivering an emergency solution, regardless of whether you are a consumer or a business. For the first set of users, it can be as simple as having a simple phone with a loaded pay as you go (PAYG) SIM, which is commonly known as a glove box phone. Any SIM only deal would do. It may not be useful to receive calls but it may prove invaluable to make one. Bear in mind as well that you may need to keep it charged and loaded (just do it at the same time as you test your smoke alarm). Better late than never For businesses, there’s a wide variety of solutions available to ensure seamless connectivity regardless of the provider. Depending on your budget and how many minutes of downtime you can afford, it can be as simple as having a fixed broadband connection (I have one with Virgin Media) or a mobile broadband router connected to a different mobile network. Alternatively, if your smartphone supports two SIMs, you can use a cheap data only SIM and enable the hotspot feature on your device. More elaborate solutions include a bonding router where two or more broadband connections (wired or wireless) are joined together to create a big internet pipe. These are often used for load balancing as well which enables a more efficient use of your internet resources. Some UK networks like EE and Virgin Media have already started to roll out these “unbreakable” Wi-Fi which essentially pair a wireless connection to a wired one; expect this to be a major feature of any network going forward. Ask your Internet Service provider for what options are available to you as a consumer or business. You might also like Vodafone and Three announce UK mega-mergerBT confirms UK 3G switch off is coming soonThese are the best rugged smartphones View the full article

A robust observability strategy can preemptively detect anomalies and potential issues—before they become full-blown outages. View the full article