Facebook Messenger is one of the most used and preferred instant messaging app worldwide. It has millions of users that regularly use it to send and receive messages from their contacts. The credibility it carries is worth the performance it provides. However, sometimes it may have certain issues due to heavy traffic. When this happens, no one is able to use the Messenger from a given region or the whole world. “Messenger not working” and “Messenger down” terms go trending and the majority of the people are left confused.
In this post, I will tell you about how to know when Facebook Messenger is not working or Messenger is down. And, I will also tell you the 5 ways to fix this issue. If you are having trouble with the FB Messenger, just go through this post to get rid of your dilemmas.
What is Messenger Not Working Situation?
Facebook Messenger is a heavily used instant messaging app by Facebook. It has over 1300 million monthly active users that check the app for about 9-12 times a day on average. It is the second most used messaging app in the world, after WhatsApp. Being a massively popular and used application, it requires frequent server maintenances. Sometimes, when the maintenance does not happen properly or it takes too long. Or, when a certain bug or glitch overtakes the app, it stops working properly and an outage occurs.
This outage is known as a Facebook Messenger not working or messenger down situation. When this happens, the app stops working for all or the majority of the users of a particular region, country, or whole world. During this, you will not be able to use the Messenger app properly. It will start crashing when you try launching the app or it’ll show the “unable to connect to the internet” message despite having a working internet connection.
What happens when Messenger is down?
Here are some of the common things that may happen when Messenger is not working or down for your area. Remember that the symptoms may be different for every user. For example, some users will not be able to launch the app even while some will be able to launch it but will only see a white screen.
- The app will crash when you try launching the app by tapping on the app icon.
- If the app opens, you’ll see a white or black screen stuck.
- Despite having a working internet connection, messages like ‘unable to connect, ‘unable to load,’ will appear.
- Messages you send will not be delivered to the receiver.
- The app starts lagging, freezing, or crashing.
These are some of the most common things that happen when Messenger is not working. However, other unusual things can also happen.
Is Facebook Messenger Down Right Now?
No, Facebook Messenger is not down right now, it is working properly in all the regions. A couple of days back, on May 3rd, 2020, some problems happened for the Messenger users in the USA. The users from other regions were unaffected. The last major “Down” or “Outage” took place on April 17 and April 18. Another major outage took place in the UK on April 6 when Facebook was having server maintenance for the app.
Currently, the app is working fine and there are no issues with it. Whenever an issue happens, you can verify it by using the methods I’m mentioning below.
How to Know When Messenger is Not Working?
When the Messenger is not working, it isn’t necessary that the Messenger is down. Sometimes, the problem may also lie at your end. So, it is essential that you know about verifying that if the Messenger is actually down and having an outage. Here are some of the general checks that you can use to verify the situation.
1. Check Twitter Trends
Twitter is the best place to know about all the happenings in the world. Even when an outage occurs with an app, you can use Twitter to know about it. If you are having trouble using the Facebook Messenger, just go to Twitter and check the trending hashtags. If you see hashtags like #MessengerDown, #MessengerNotWorking, #FacebookMessengerDown, on the trending list, you can conclude the app is having troubles.
You can also search for similar hashtags and check the latest tweets about it. This will help you verify that you are not the only one facing issues.
2. Check Stories on WhatsApp, Instagram, & Snapchat
When a ‘Messenger Down’ happens, you will find your friends and colleagues uploading stories or sharing memes about the issue on social apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat. So, when you are having trouble with the Messenger, just check the stories of other people and you’ll find something related to the issue if it is widespread.
If multiple people are facing the issues, you can conclude that the Messenger is down right now.
3. Try to Use Facebook & Youtube
Sometimes the Messenger stops working properly because of a poor internet connection. So, you have to verify if your connection is not behind the issues you are experiencing with Messenger. To do this, just open Facebook’s main app or Youtube and use them for 5 to 10 minutes. If you are able to use these properly but not Messenger, then the problem is with Messenger, not with you.
And, if you can’t use these apps either, you need to fix the internet connection or switch to a different one for the time being.
4. Visit App Status Check Websites
App or Website status check websites are the most credible way to verify a Messenger outage. These websites can tell you the exact status of Facebook Messenger by checking the server activity. You can also check the ping and other issues going with the app along with the overall status using these. And, you can even report the issues you are facing.
Here are some of the best websites to check if Messenger is down or not.
- DownDetector.in
- Outage.report
- IsItDownRightNow.com
- IsTheServiceDown.in
Just visit any of these and know about the situation correctly.
5 Ways to Fix the Facebook Messenger Not Working Issue
When the Messenger is down temporarily due to trouble with the app server, then you can’t do anything but just wait until Facebook resolves the issue. However, if you have realized that the problem lies at your end and the app is working fine for everyone else, then you need to fix the issue yourself. Here are the 5 ways you can solve the problem easily.
- Restart your smartphone– A lot of issues on an Android or iPhone can be simply solved with a simple restart. You can try that here as well.
- Switch to a Different Network– If the internet connection is the cause of the issue, you can try switching to a different network.
- Update the application– If you have an outdated app, just update it from the Play Store or App Store.
- Re-install App– If you have the latest version of the app, uninstall it and re-install it to solve the problem. You can also try clearing the app cache and then checking if it works.
- Use FB Lite, Facebook app, or Facebook in Browser– If the issue is not going with any of the fixes above, it will go away automatically, just give it some time. And, you can use the FB Lite app, Facebook app, or use Facebook in the browser to chat with your friends until the Messenger gets back up.
That’s it.
Summing it up
Facebook Messenger can sometimes fall down due to heavy usage. When it crashes and stops working properly for the majority of the users, the situation is known as “Messenger not working/ Messenger Down.” This is how you know about the situation and fix it if the problem lies at your end. If you are having any other issues with the app, let me know in the comments and I’ll try to find the solutions for you.
That’s all for this post. I hope you find it helpful. Feel free to drop any queries or suggestions in the comment box. I’ll be happy to listen to you.
