Major AWS outage takes down Fortnite, Alexa, Snapchat, and more

A major outage on Amazon Web Services (AWS) has taken down online services such as Fortnite, Alexa, Snapchat, and others.
The cause of the outage hasn’t been confirmed, but it’s affecting multiple services in the US-EAST-1 Region and other regions globally.
Services impacted by the outage include platforms running on AWS’ cloud network, such as Perplexity, Airtable, Canva, and the McDonalds app.
Alexa smart assistant users are reporting issues with the device not responding to queries or completing requests due to the AWS outage.
The outage is ongoing, and Amazon has stated that it’s working to mitigate the issue and understand the root cause, with an update expected in 45 minutes or sooner if more information becomes available.

Here are just a few of the services impacted by the outage.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is currently experiencing a major outage that has taken down online services, including Amazon, Alexa, Snapchat, Fortnite, and more. The AWS status checker is reporting that multiple services are “impacted” by operational issues, and that the company is “investigating increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services in the US-EAST-1 Region” — though outages are also impacting services in other regions globally.

Users on Reddit are reporting that the Alexa smart assistant is down and unable to respond to queries or complete requests, and in my own experience, I found that routines like pre-set alarms are not functioning. The AWS issue also appears to be impacting platforms running on its cloud network, including Perplexity, Airtable, Canva, and the McDonalds app. The cause of the outage hasn’t been confirmed, and it’s unclear when regular service will be restored.

“Perplexity is down right now,” Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said on X. “The root cause is an AWS issue. We’re working on resolving it.”

The AWS dashboard first reported issues affecting the US-EAST-1 Region at 3:11AM ET. “We are actively engaged and working to both mitigate the issue and understand root cause. We will provide an update in 45 minutes, or sooner if we have additional information to share,” Amazon said in an update published at 3:51AM ET.

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Q. What is causing the major AWS outage?

A. The cause of the outage hasn’t been confirmed, but it’s believed to be related to operational issues with multiple AWS services.

Q. Which online services have been impacted by the outage?

A. Services such as Amazon, Alexa, Snapchat, Fortnite, Perplexity, Airtable, Canva, and the McDonalds app are among those affected.

Q. What is happening with the Alexa smart assistant during the outage?

A. The Alexa smart assistant is down and unable to respond to queries or complete requests due to the AWS issue.

Q. How long ago did Amazon first report issues affecting the US-EAST-1 Region?

A. Amazon reported issues at 3:11AM ET, approximately 40 minutes before their initial update.

Q. What was Amazon’s response to the outage when they first reported it?

A. Amazon stated that they were “actively engaged and working to both mitigate the issue and understand root cause” and promised an update in 45 minutes or sooner if additional information became available.

Q. How long will Amazon wait before providing further updates on the outage?

A. The article does not specify a specific timeframe for when regular service will be restored, but it mentions that Amazon will provide an update in 45 minutes or sooner if they have more information to share.

Q. Is Perplexity’s issue related to the AWS outage?

A. Yes, according to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, the root cause of the issue is an AWS problem.

Q. How many regions are currently affected by the outage?

A. The article mentions that outages are impacting services in multiple regions globally, including the US-EAST-1 Region.

Q. What platforms are running on Amazon’s cloud network and impacted by the outage?

A. Platforms such as Perplexity, Airtable, Canva, and the McDonalds app are among those affected due to the AWS issue.

Q. When can users expect regular service to be restored?

A. The article does not provide a specific timeframe for when regular service will be restored, but it mentions that Amazon is working to resolve the issue.