YouTube Experiences Temporary Global Outage Affecting Users in India and the US

Alphabet-owned YouTube experienced one of its largest outages in recent years, disrupting access for millions of users worldwide. The outage began late on February 17, 2026, and continued into the early hours of February 18, affecting both mobile and desktop platforms.

According to outage tracker DownDetector, more than 321,000 reports were filed in the United States, while India saw over 18,000 complaints by 6:42 a.m. IST. Users reported login failures, playback errors, and the recurring “Something Went Wrong” message.

Key Highlights

• Scale of Outage: Millions impacted globally, with peak complaints in the US and India.
• Error Messages: Users faced login failures and “Something Went Wrong” notifications.
• YouTube TV Impact: Nearly 10,000 reports of disruptions on YouTube TV.
• Other Services: Some users also reported issues with Google Search, Gmail, and Google Meet.
• Recovery Status: YouTube has resumed normal service, though a “full fix” is still pending.
• User Reaction: Social media flooded with memes, frustration, and real-time outage updates.

This incident highlights the vulnerability of global digital platforms and the scale of disruption when a service like YouTube faces downtime.

Sources: Economic Times, India Today, Business Today, Republic World