Skip to main content

Update: Netflix up and running after Saturday evening outages

netflix down july 2016 family lifestyle header
Updated on 7-31-2016 by Lulu Chang: Around 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Netflix service appeared to be restored for most users, though some still reported problems. 

Netflix went down on Saturday.

Proving just how easy it is to throw much of the human race into a total and complete tailspin, the internet collectively freaked out over its inability to access the video streaming service. Because seriously, what else are we supposed to do on a Saturday night? Go out? Please.

During prime binge-watching hours, Netflix suddenly went black, greeting hordes of dismayed television fans everywhere with a message that read suggested that they were “having technical difficulties,” or “unable to process your request.” Neither one of these explanations, of course, have been sufficient to quell the growing complaints from Netflix users.

The issues appeared to be localized to Netflix users using the web player — Apple TV customers seem unaffected by this travesty. But it’s an international issue — Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Switzerland, and New Zealand are all experiencing problems, as per Twitter. And Down Detector suggests that Argentina, Brazil, Norway, New Caledonia, and Nicaragua are also having problems.

In a statement issued via Twitter, the Netflix acknowledged, “We are aware that some customers are seeing errors when visiting Netflix’s website and we are working to solve this as quickly as possible.”

Netflix also tweeted, “We’ve confirmed the errors are limited to web browsers and will affect sign-ups. We’re working to fix this asap and will keep folks posted.”

And after three grueling hours, the problem was finally solved.

We're back! The issues on our website reported earlier have been fixed. We appreciate your patience and apologies for any inconvenience.

— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) July 31, 2016

To be fair, this certainly isn’t a common occurrence for Netflix. The last time an outage made headlines was back in November 2015. Of course, if this did happen any more frequently, we’d probably be dealing with a lot more distressed and disheveled denizens of the internet.

Check out some of these hilarious tweets tweets lamenting the situation for alternative entertainment if your Netflix is still giving you issues. And just hope and pray that the entirety of your weekend isn’t ruined by the Netflix apocalypse.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Netflix launches a two-thumbs-up rating for content you love
The two-thumb symbol for Netflix's updated rating system.

If you’re still reeling over Netflix’s decision in 2017 to replace its five-star rating system with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down option, and you wish you could express your likes and dislikes of Netflix’s shows and movies with more than a simple like or dislike, we have some good news for you.

The video streaming giant has just added an extra thumb to its rating system, one that lets you show that you didn’t just like what you just watched, but you loved it.

Read more
In From The Cold heats up Netflix by defying expectations
Margarita Levieva fights another woman on the ice in a scene from In From The Cold.

The Netflix spy thriller In From The Cold stands out in a crowded genre for plenty of good reasons, not the least of which is its willingness to give audiences a badass, butt-kicking protagonist who also happens to be a single mother in her 40s simply trying to be a good parent to her teenage daughter. At a time when Hollywood's big-screen spy game often relies on older men and young women free from the shackles of typical adult responsibilities, In From The Cold has lead character Jenny Franklin juggling an angsty teen, a looming divorce, and a nonexistent social life long before her hidden past as a Soviet secret agent comes back to haunt her.

As if that wasn't enough to handle, she also has a superhuman -- but medically risky -- ability to shape-shift she'll need to tap into to stop a terrorist group's sinister plans, too.

Read more
Instagram back up after second major outage of the week
Instagram login screen.

Facebook started off the week with one heck of a blunder, watching all of its services go down worldwide for over six hours. Now, to close out the week, Facebook-owned Instagram had another large-scale outage that lasted multiple hours. People started to notice issues with Instagram not loading or refreshing around 2 p.m. ET, and the problems seemed to be sporadic -- but a wave of reports made it clear there was a mojor problem.

Over on Twitter, both #instagramdownagain and #instadown were trending for the duration. That doesn't happen for a small or short blip.

Read more