Amazon Web Services Experiences Global Outage, Disrupting Popular Websites and Apps

A widespread internet outage hit major websites and apps using Amazon Web Services (AWS), including Amazon, Snapchat, and Fortnite. The outage was caused by increased error rates and latencies in the US-EAST-1 Region, according to AWS. Downdetector reported a sharp rise in outages reported by users. The outage is ongoing and is being investigated by AWS.

A widespread internet outage has disrupted several major websites and applications that rely on Amazon Web Services (AWS), including Amazon, Snapchat, and Fortnite. The outage, which began in the early hours of September 12, 2025, has been attributed to increased error rates and latencies in the US-EAST-1 Region, according to AWS, as reported by The Verge.

The outage has impacted a wide range of services, with users reporting difficulties accessing key platforms. Amazon's Alexa smart assistant has been down, unable to respond to queries or complete requests. Routines like pre-set alarms are also reported to be non-functional. Additionally, platforms such as Perplexity, Airtable, Canva, and the McDonald's app have been affected due to the AWS issue, the Verge report notes.

The cause of the outage has not been confirmed, and it remains unclear when regular service will be restored. AWS is actively investigating the issue and has provided updates on their status page. The company initially reported issues in the US-EAST-1 region at 3:11 AM ET and later acknowledged that the outage might also be affecting the ability to create support tickets through AWS Support Center or Support API, according to coverage by The Verge.

Downdetector, an outage tracker, reported a sharp rise in outages reported by users, indicating the widespread nature of the disruption. The outage has affected services across multiple regions globally, highlighting the far-reaching impact of a single technical failure in AWS's cloud infrastructure, according to LiveMint.

Amazon Web Services, being one of the world's largest cloud computing providers, supports a vast number of digital services. A single technical failure in AWS can have significant implications for the broader internet ecosystem. As of now, AWS is working to mitigate the issue and understand its root cause, with the company promising updates every 45 minutes or sooner if additional information becomes available, The Verge reports.

This outage underscores the importance of robust cloud infrastructure and highlights the potential risks associated with relying on a single cloud provider for critical services. Investors and financial professionals should closely monitor the situation for any developments that could impact the performance and reliability of AWS-dependent services.