On 20th October 2021, Snapchat users in Pakistan and multiple other countries experienced issues in Snapchat’s services that are reportedly due to Amazon Web Services (AWS). This disruption rendered features like streaks, calls, or messaging temporarily unusable. Non-receptive audio and videos, login issues, and difficulty uploading snaps were common issues faced globally. According to TechRadar, Snapchat alone saw over 22,000 reports at one point.
According to some sources, issues were seen in countries across India, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and Pakistan. This disruption was traced to a technical fault in Amazon Web Services (AWS), US-EAST-1 Region, their largest and most critical hub. This caused the shutdown of not only Snapchat but also other digital services and applications that depend on AWS as their server.
According to reports from Reuters and The Guardian, the issue generated around 12 PM, Pakistani time, quickly cascading through AWS’s cloud infrastructure and interrupting real-time connectivity, data processing, and application functionality across multiple regions. This impact highlighted the role AWS plays and how a lot of digital platforms are entirely dependent on a centralized system for their smooth working. It also underscores how a failure in a single centralized system can trigger a global ripple effect, disrupting multiple digital interconnected platforms and services.
As of today, Snapchat has been partially restored across some regions. Users facing issues are advised to try restarting the application and logging in again. No public statement from AWS or Snapchat has been released yet, but the gradual restoration of services indicates that the recovery efforts are actively underway.
