The messaging app with the most users worldwide, WhatsApp, once again was down the morning of July 3^rd. According to reports from users it had issues with the audios, videos, or photos received.

Not only WhatsApp had issues with its platforms. Facebook and Instagram also had problems around the globe. This prevented users from these social networks to use them as they normally would, since neither images nor videos loaded correctly, no direct connection could be established, or receiving or listening voice notes.

Millions of users were affected for more than nine hours by this down which prevented downloading some files and, according to one of these companies, it happened while running a “routinely maintenance operation.”

“We are aware that some people are having difficulties to access to Facebook’s app family. We are working to solve this issue as soon as possible”, said a spokesperson from the social network.

The web site DownDetector checked how the issues began at 2:45 PM when users reported the first problems with the apps. Over 14.000 users reported problems with Instagram, while 7.500 users had problems with Facebook, and 1.600 users with WhatsApp, according the web site’s interruption map.

The interruption map showed that these issues happened mostly in Europe and the USA. DownDetector is a real-time monitoring platform for Internet issues. 86% of the reported complains were related to the use of images, while 8% reported issues with their newsfeed, and 4% had issues when trying to enter the apps.

The down affected different countries such as the USA, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, France, the UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines, said DownDetector.

Unlike other occasions, it is not a full block, but affected users. In general, they could still access the apps with some functions not available like sending or receiving messages, or sharing content.

In the case of Facebook, one of the affected functions was the private chat, Messenger (available as a mobile app), also with the instant message service, WhatsApp. And in Instagram (also Facebook property), the issues were on posting new content, and with the stories section.

The USA-based company, around 2 AM, reestablished connections, and admitted they had caused a “great problem”, and apologized for the inconvenience caused. “The issue is solved, and we should be 100% operational”, said a source from the company.

However, in a new statement, Facebook discarded a cyber attack, and attribute it to a technical difficulty. “In one of our routine maintenance operations, we caused a problem that made it hard for some people to load and send photos and videos”, added the source.

To many, these apps are their main communication channel for personal and professional interactions, as well as their tool in work. Once again, it was a headache for users who had handle themselves as they could, they even created images and memes in other platforms such as Twitter; a micro message social network that collapsed in the afternoon.

For the desktop versions, Instagram did not load images or videos. The web page had a message saying “no description available of the photo” or metadata messages “the image may contain: food.” Several users reported that when trying to post photos, the app only displayed the title and not the photo, and other users

claimed they could not access the service. A common scenario whenever this issue happens.

The experts believe apps such as WhatsApp, not Facebook nor Instagram, which is the closest to an e-communication service, should inform users of these cases.

“Although the Telecommunication General Law foresees, even, the right of continuous service and to receive a compensation for its interruption, social networks are except from it, but it could be applicable to WhatsApp. For now, the CNMC has not made them subscribe in the e-communication Register of Carriers”, stated Borja Adsuara, digital lawyer.

These issues happened three weeks after Instagram suffered an interruption that lasted for more than two hours. In this case, some users reported that they were not able to access their profiles. This down happened after two important shutdowns.

In March, the issue of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp services lasted for 24 hours before being fully reestablishing. That was the longest disconnection in history. “The issue is solved and we should be fully operational for everyone. We are sorry for the inconvenience”, said the source.

On the other hand, Twitter, a little bit after Wednesday’s midday, hashtags referring to the problem appeared: #whatsappdown, #instagramdown, and #facebookdown, occupied the first three places in the trending list.

These words, alongside Mark Zuckerberg (creator and owner of Facebook), Telegram and Twitter Hold completed the list of the ten most used words in the blue-bird social network.

Likewise, the three apps were on the top searches on Google around the world. As it is common when WhatsApp is down, the interest on Telegram grew. This message app is similar in functions, and it was one of the most talked topics on the net.

Mark Zuckerberg’s company has seen many scandals related to the management of the privacy of data from users the last months, staining considerably the company’s public image.

The greatest polemic Facebook faced was in March last year when it was revealed that British Consulting Cambridge Analytica used the app to compile millions of data from users without their consent and with political purposes.

The company used data from the social network to create psychological profiles of voters, and allegedly sold it to the campaign of now president, Donald Trump, during 2016 elections, among other cases. Months later, in October, the Menlo Park-based company, California, admitted that hackers stole personal information from over 30 million accounts.