On Sunday, May 4, 2025, Snapchat, the popular multimedia messaging platform, suffered a significant worldwide service disruption, impacting millions of users, including those in Pakistan. The outage prevented users from sending or receiving snaps, messages, or uploading content, sparking widespread frustration.
According to outage tracking platform Downdetector, reports of issues surged globally, with users in countries like Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and France among the most affected. In Pakistan, major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar saw a flood of complaints, with 54% of users reporting being logged out, 27% facing issues with sharing content, and 19% unable to upload media by late Sunday afternoon.
The disruption began early Sunday and quickly escalated, as evidenced by a sharp increase in user reports. Social media platforms buzzed with grievances, particularly from users in Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces, who expressed annoyance at the sudden loss of access to the app’s core features.
While Snapchat has yet to release an official explanation, experts speculate that the issue may stem from a server malfunction or a problematic software update. Intriguingly, some users noted that connecting through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) restored access, suggesting possible regional server issues or access restrictions.
Downdetector’s global heat map illustrated the outage’s extensive reach, with elevated problem reports across multiple continents. The platform emphasized that it only flags outages when complaint volumes significantly surpass normal levels, a threshold clearly met during this incident.
As of 6 p.m. on Sunday, the situation remained unresolved for many, with no timeline provided for service restoration. Users are advised to monitor Snapchat’s official channels for updates and consider using a VPN as a temporary workaround.
