YouTube went down for millions of users worldwide, including YouTube TV, in a rare global outage (18/02). The disruption affected both the website and mobile app, leaving many users unable to access videos.

Timeline of the Outage

The outage began at around 7:50 PM ET / 12:50 AM GMT, when reports on Downdetector surged, showing over 280,000 in the US and 30,000 in the UK. Users reported seeing blank screens and error messages such as “something went wrong” on both the website and mobile app.

By 9:06 AM ET, YouTube confirmed that while many users regained access, issues remained for thousands, including intermittent access to some features like Shorts. Downdetector data showed reports falling to approximately 227,000 in the US, indicating partial recovery.

Google Confirms the Cause

Google later explained the outage: “An issue with our recommendations system prevented videos from appearing across surfaces on YouTube (including the homepage, the YouTube app, YouTube Music and YouTube Kids).”

The company stated that the homepage was restored for most users but a full fix was still underway. Residual glitches persisted, affecting some areas of the platform.

Impact on YouTube TV and Other Services

A small number of users were also unable to log in to YouTube TV, which Google said was linked to the broader outage. Users across devices reported inconsistent access, reflecting the widespread nature of the problem.

Recovery and User Experiences

By 9:53 AM ET, the website and app were mostly functional, with Downdetector reports returning to near-normal levels. Google indicated that ongoing work was continuing to address remaining issues. Some users still experienced minor disruptions, but the main services were largely restored.

PHOTO: UNSPLASH

This article was created with AI assistance.

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