If you are an ardent user of WhatsApp web, you may have noticed a slow response rate since Sunday, November 24.
As it turns out, the Meta-owned application experienced a mass outage across different regions across the globe, which consequently affected its web version.
The outage affected both personal and business accounts, rendering individuals relying on the platform for their day-to-day activities at a great disadvantage.
One notable hiccup that a majority of users in Kenya reported was the freezing of the WhatsApp web when attempting to load it in a browser such as Chrome whilst chats typically tend to load automatically when the app is in full swing.
According to online disruption traffic platform Downdetector, the outage mainly affected WhatsApp web, with most users noting that most of the functions of the phone version of the app worked seamlessly.
By Monday evening, 59 per cent of WhatsApp users reported issues related to the web version while 25 per cent reported they were unable to send messages globally.
16% of global WhatsApp users reported problems with the app in general.
Meta, which is WhatsApp's parent company, is yet to issue a statement on the outage, suggesting that the issue could be specific to a few regions and the issue may not be big enough to warrant an official statement. In such cases, Meta's technical team tends to sort the issue internally.
In India, for example, several users also reported being unable to access WhatsApp web around the same time the challenge was experienced in Kenya.
Earlier this year, a more severe WhatsApp outage was experienced where users were completely unable to send or receive messages, prompting an online outrage through X, formerly Twitter.
Despite the ever-lingering challenge of technical disruptions, WhatsApp developers have consistently tried to add updates to the app to enhance user experience.
In one of the more recent updates, WhatsApp enabled the saving of contacts from linked devices. Users are also able to access the web version of the app on different devices without having to log out of another one.
