In a surprising turn of events, Facebook users found themselves grappling with a frustrating issue as they encountered “session expired” messages when attempting to log into their accounts. This incident, which occurred around 3:20 pm, wasn’t limited to Facebook alone;
Other Meta apps such as Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and Threads were also affected. Additionally, reports surfaced of users experiencing problems with popular platforms like Whatsapp, TikTok, Snapchat, and even Google.
Facebook App Session Expired Error
According to Source, more than 150,000 users faced difficulties accessing Facebook within the first hour of the problem, with 25,000 reports of Instagram issues. The widespread outage prompted Meta’s Communications Director, Andy Stone, to acknowledge the problem on X, stating, “We’re aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now” at 3:52 pm.
User Frustrations and Initial Reactions
The unexpected error messages left users perplexed and frustrated. On social media, the hashtag #facebookdown quickly gained traction as users voiced their concerns. One user questioned, “Anyone else’s #Facebook logged out? Can’t log back in, keeps saying session expired or unexpected error?”
Another shared their experience, saying, “Was on Facebook and it said the session expired and logged me out and now it will not let me log back in and is acting like it’s never known me?! I’ve had the same account for 15 years?”
Some users initially feared their accounts had been compromised, leading to a flurry of password changes. One user shared their anxiety, “Literally thought someone has hacked my Facebook account when I had been logged out, and my session expired. Meta down.”
Another user humorously added, “Not me changing my passwords on FB three times in five minutes thinking I got hacked only to find out that Facebook/IG are down for everyone. Adrenaline is pumping.”
App-Specific Issues
Beyond the core Facebook platform, users reported similar problems with associated apps. Facebook Messenger, operating as a separate app on most mobile devices, also logged users out. Meanwhile, Threads displayed an error message stating, “Something went wrong, please try again later.”
Why Does Facebook Keep Saying Session Expired?
Meta’s status page indicated “major disruptions” to Facebook login, the admin center, and several other business products. Notably, such extensive outages are rare for Meta. The last major disruption occurred in 2021, lasting six hours and affecting millions of users globally.
After that incident, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologized, stating, “Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger are coming back online now. Sorry for the disruption today — I know how much you rely on our services to stay connected with the people you care about.”
Similarly, Meta issued an apology during the recent outage, expressing regret to the global community that depends on their services. The statement read, “To the huge community of people and businesses around the world who depend on us: we’re sorry.
We’ve been working hard to restore access to our apps and services and are happy to report they are coming back online now. Thank you for bearing with us.”
As Facebook users navigate through the aftermath of the recent outage, it becomes evident that technical glitches can impact even the most robust platforms. Understanding the nature of the “session expired” error and Meta’s response provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by large-scale social media networks.
While users await a detailed explanation for the recent disruption, the incident serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of our digital lives and the occasional hiccups that accompany them.