WhatsApp down for users across the UK and world

The messaging platform WhatsApp has gone down for users across the UK and around the world.

Users of the platform, owned by Meta, began reporting issues just before 08:00 BST on Tuesday.

More than 12,000 reports were posted within half an hour, according to the service status website Down Detector.

Many people have complained on social media that they cannot send or receive messages. WhatsApp has about two billion active users globally.

It is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the UK.

Many users who tried to use the app on Tuesday morning were faced with a “connecting” message.

The outage is likely to cause significant disruption. The app, which offers end-to-end encryption for messages, is a popular method of group communication for social, work, and parenting activities.

It has even been used, controversially, by government ministers.

According to internet monitoring organization NetBlocks, the outage is affecting users both in the UK and around the world.