Meta Platforms’ social networking services Facebook and Instagram faced a temporary outage that affected thousands of users in the United States on Sunday evening (September 20, 2026), according to reports from the outage-tracking website Downdetector, as cited by Reuters.
Scale of the Disruption
Downdetector recorded a sharp rise in user-submitted reports:
More than 17,000 reports of issues with Facebook at the peak (around 9:11 PM ET)
More than 5,000 reports of problems with Instagram
The disruption began approximately at 8:55 PM ET. Users reported difficulties loading the apps or websites, with some experiencing white screens or the platforms getting stuck on the logo.
By around 10:00 PM ET, reports of outages had fallen significantly, indicating that the services had largely recovered. The outage was therefore relatively brief.
Official Response
Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident. The company’s official status page initially showed no known issues during the period when user reports were elevated.
It is important to note that Downdetector figures are based on user-submitted reports and do not represent the exact number of affected users. The actual impact may have varied.
Facebook and Instagram had experienced a similar, though smaller, outage in July 2026. Such disruptions, while temporary, often generate widespread discussion on alternative platforms and highlight the reliance of millions of users on Meta’s services for communication, news and content sharing.
Services appeared to return to normal after the brief interruption, with no prolonged widespread impact reported.