Thousands of UK Facebook users have reported problems accessing the social media platform, with many saying they have been locked out of their accounts. Downdetector, which tracks online outages, showed a sharp rise in reports on Sunday morning as users across the UK complained of issues with the website. Many said they were seeing an 'Account Temporarily Unavailable' message when trying to log in through a web browser.
Outage Reports Spike
According to Downdetector, reports of Facebook outages began surging around 09:00 BST on Sunday, 19 July 2026. The majority of users (over 60%) reported problems with the website, while 25% had issues with the mobile app and 15% with the login process. Instagram, which is owned by Meta, also experienced a spike in outage reports, though on a smaller scale.
User Reactions
Frustrated users took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their anger and seek information. Many reported being logged out of their accounts and unable to regain access. Some users expressed concern about security, with one writing: 'I’ve been locked out of my Facebook account for hours. No email, no reset. This is worrying.' Others joked about the outage, with one user saying: 'Facebook is down. How will I survive this Sunday morning?'
Meta's Response
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has not yet issued an official statement regarding the outage. The company’s status page showed no reported issues as of 09:30 BST. However, given the scale of reports, it is likely that the company is working to resolve the problem. This is not the first major outage for Meta; in March 2024, a similar incident affected users globally for several hours.
Impact on Users
The outage has disrupted access for thousands of UK users, many of whom rely on Facebook for personal communication, business, and community groups. Small business owners who use Facebook Pages to reach customers reported being unable to respond to messages or update their content. The timing of the outage on a Sunday morning may limit the immediate impact, but prolonged downtime could lead to significant disruption.
