Google outage leaves users stranded

In a significant disruption, Google experienced a widespread outage on the morning of Wednesday, July 31, 2024, leaving millions of users across the globe unable to access the search engine and other related services.

A check by Arbiterz at about 10.15am on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, showed that Google search was returning an error.

Downdetector, a website that monitors online service outages, notes that Google outages have been reported in the last 24 hours.

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The outage impacted Google Search, Google Messages, and Google Voice, among other services, causing substantial inconvenience.

According to Downdetector, users reported various issues, including 59 per cent experiencing problems with the website, 31 per cent with Google Search, and 10 per cent with login issues. The outage was not limited to one region but affected users worldwide, indicating a systemic issue rather than a localised problem.

A check by Arbiterz revealed that there have been pockets of outages since early July, according to reported cases on Downdetector.

This is not the first time Google has faced such an issue. Previous outages, including one in June 2024 and another significant one in May 2024, have similarly disrupted services, though the company has always managed to restore functionality relatively quickly.

The cause of the current outage is still under investigation, but it highlights the vulnerability of even the most robust online services to technical glitches. As Google continues to dominate the internet landscape, ensuring the reliability and stability of its services remains a critical priority for the tech giant.