Instagram users are desperate to know when the social media platform will be back up and running.
Web service monitoring platform DownDetector revealed thousands of people reported outages before 5pm.
Data on its website showed that almost 50,000 people had reported the outages on Facebook.
Most complaints cited issues with the website (72 per cent), while others were linked to issues with the server connection and the app.
More than 30,000 Instagram users also had similar complaints, with 51 per cent relating to the app, 26 per cent over the server connection and 23 per cent citing the website.
A graph on the DownDetector website showed a clear spike from after 4pm.
Here's what we know about when Instagram will recover from the blackout and issues it has been facing.
When will Instagram be back up and running again?
A statement from Instagram Comms on Twitter at 5:30pm acknowledged the issue as they asked users to bear with them.
It read: "Instagram and friends are having a little bit of a hard time right now, and you may be having issues using them. Bear with us, we’re on it!"
However, there has been no further update from the social media giant.
Facebook - which owns Instagram and WhatsApp - has yet to clarify the reason for the outage.
It told users: "We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products.
"We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience."
Meanwhile, Facebook's communications executive Andy Stone has tweeted to say the social media giant is aware of the current issues and is "working to get things back to normal."
It's thought the issues could relate to the domain name system, which is a knock-on effect of wider issues affecting the technology infrastructure that supports the platforms. Though it's not clear what this is.
Has Instagram had any other problems recently?
Instagram has been at the centre of a scandal recently after a Facebook whistleblower came forward.
Frances Haugen, who worked as a product manager on the civic integrity team at Facebook, is behind a series of leaks.
A Facebook executive has testified that the leaks don't highlight the positive impact Instagram has on teens.
