It's not you! WhatsApp is experiencing massive outages on July 24th.

This Wednesday, July 24, millions of users woke up to an unexpected surprise: WhatsApp, the most widely used instant messaging app, experienced a global outage, generating confusion, frustration, and speculation on social media.

From early on, massive reports on Downdetector, as well as on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), reflected that the problem was widespread and not due to failures in users' personal internet.

The outages began to be reported around 7:30 a.m. (Mexico time), primarily affecting group chats, but soon spread to all essential platform functions. The most common errors include:

• Inability to send or receive messages
• Errors in downloading images, videos and audios
• Intermittent access to the application
• Messages stuck in “sending” status

This outage has affected both individual users and businesses, which use WhatsApp as their primary communication channel.

As is customary at events of this kind, social media exploded with memes, complaints, and requests for WhatsApp status information.

In X, the hashtag #WhatsAppDown quickly became a trend in several countries, with messages ranging from bewilderment to collective humor:

“I rebooted the modem three times until I realized it wasn't my internet.” “Not even the stickers load! Now how do we fight in the family group?”

So far, Meta has not issued an official statement explaining the reasons behind this outage. However, in past cases, these errors have been related to:

• Internal server updates
• Changes in the application backend
• Traffic overload in certain regions. The outage lasted between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on the geographic area, although some users continue to report intermittent outages.

When a platform as important as WhatsApp goes down, many users look for reliable options to stay connected. Here are some of the most recommended:

• More than 950 million users
• Cloud-based messaging
• Groups of up to 200,000 members
• Access from multiple devices

• 100% privacy focused
• Recommended by Edward Snowden
• End-to-end encryption by default
• Does not store metadata

• No phone number required
• Ideal for anonymous and private use
• Servers in Switzerland

• Strong encryption
• Integration with the iOS/macOS ecosystem
• RCS support for better compatibility

WhatsApp isn't just a messaging tool; it's a critical communications infrastructure for millions of people and businesses. Outages like this:

• They impact labor productivity
• They affect business processes
• They leave users who depend on the service for emergencies vulnerable.

This incident is a reminder of the need to have backup alternatives and diversify our digital communication tools.

The WhatsApp outage on July 24th once again made it clear how dependent we are on this app. Although the service has now been restored for many, it's important to have other options that allow us to stay connected under any circumstances.

Stay informed, avoid panicking, and remember: having safe and functional alternatives is always a good idea.