Instagram and Facebook were down in the UAE: Users reported issues with social media platforms

Images on the photo-sharing platform weren't showing for users in the Emirates, with other outages in Europe and Japan

For the fourth time within six months, Instagram appears to be down in the UAE. AP 

UPDATE: As of 12.38pm, Instagram and Facebook are back up and running normally.

No, it's not your internet – Instagram and Facebook appear to be down in the UAE.

On first glance, it seems as though the popular social media site Instagram is working because images do appear on the newsfeed (although they do take some time to load). However, users have found that upon clicking any other part of the platform, such as an Instagram Story or the search page, that nothing else appears to load.

It's a similar situation with Facebook; posts load, but a blank box shows where images should sit and videoes do not appear to load.

It appears the UAE is the only area in the region to report issues. The Down Detector website also shows that there are outages in parts of Europe, as well as Japan, as seen in the map below:

Many people took to Twitter instead to vent their frustrations and to confirm that they could not access their Instagram accounts:

This is the fourth time in six months that the social media platforms have gone down in the region. There were reported issues in March, April and just a few days ago.

_________________

Read more:

Filtered images and unrealistic expectations: social media's link to depression and self-harm

Facebook and Instagram down around the world leaving social media users frustrated

Facebook to add its name to WhatsApp and Instagram brands

_________________