TechFacebook's frequent outages: Causes and solutions explained

Facebook's frequent outages: Causes and solutions explained

Facebook can often be temperamental.
Facebook can often be temperamental.
Images source: © Getty Images | NurPhoto
Oskar Ziomek

1 July 2024 13:52

Facebook doesn't work flawlessly, and you often encounter issues that prevent posting, scheduling entries in Meta Business Suite, or the proper functioning of Messenger embedded in the service. Facebook outages are frequent, but some can be resolved on your own.

Facebook outages are often caused by server-side errors, meaning the user has no direct control over them. These problems can usually be verified by checking the Downdetector service, which continuously receives reports from users who cannot use many well-known services, including Facebook.

If the number of reports is large (in the case of Facebook, counted in hundreds or thousands), it can be safely assumed that the outage is more significant. In such a situation, it remains to be patient and wait for the problem to be resolved.

However, remembering that a Facebook outage does not always mean no access to the service through all channels is worth remembering. It may turn out that a non-functioning phone app does not mean the web service isn't working simultaneously. If you need to use Facebook, you can try logging into the service on a computer in this situation. It may work flawlessly this way.

Facebook not working - how to check the app?

If Facebook has stopped working on your smartphone and reports on the Downdetector service do not indicate a global outage, it is worth checking if the problem is with the app itself. First, you should force it to close (on Android, you can do this from the app settings in the system) and restart it.

If the Facebook problem persists, it is worth checking the availability of updates and, as a last resort, deleting all data from the app's cache and logging back in after restarting. In most cases, this set of operations should resolve known software issues.

Facebook outage in a browser

Similar steps should be taken when Facebook does not work in a browser. If there is no indication that the service problems are nationwide or worldwide, it is necessary to look for the problem on your computer. The basic move is to delete Facebook-related cookies and cache data in the web browser.

After reopening the site, you must log back into the service. This operation should eliminate errors that appear on the user's side for no apparent reason.

Facebook problems

However, Facebook often operates erratically even when there are no significant outages, remembering that the service is now very complex and integrates many functionalities. Minor errors are part of everyday life, appearing at different stages, and cannot be classified as "outages" but instead as errors needing developer improvement.

In this case, the only option is to report issues to Facebook's technical support, hoping that they will be resolved with upcoming patches for the entire service. Dedicated Facebook users can confirm that many errors in the service have been known for years, and despite time, no patches have been released to fix them.

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