On October 15, 2025, YouTube, the world’s leading video-sharing platform, encountered a significant global outage that disrupted services for millions of users across various regions, including the United States, Europe, and Asia. The disruption began around 7:55 p.m. Eastern Time, with users reporting issues accessing videos on YouTube’s main platform, as well as on YouTube Music and YouTube TV.
Extent of the Outage
According to Downdetector, a website that monitors online service disruptions, over 366,000 users in the U.S. reported problems at the peak of the outage. Similar issues were reported in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other countries. Users encountered error messages such as An error occurred. Please try again later on desktops and Something went wrong on mobile devices, preventing video playback and access to playlists.
YouTube’s Response
YouTube acknowledged the issue through a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, We’ve resolved the issue impacting video playback. Thanks for your patience. However, the company did not disclose the root cause of the outage, leaving users and analysts speculating about potential technical glitches or server overloads.
Global Impact and User Experience
The outage affected users worldwide, with significant reports from major urban areas. In the U.S., cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle experienced the brunt of the disruption. Internationally, users in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan also faced similar issues. The disruption lasted for several hours, during which users were unable to stream videos, access playlists, or log into their accounts.
Previous Incidents
This is not the first time YouTube has faced such issues. On September 4, 2025, several Google services, including YouTube, experienced temporary outages in Turkey and parts of Europe. The cause of that outage remains unclear, and Google has not publicly commented on it. Similarly, on June 6, 2025, YouTube’s webpage experienced a widespread outage, primarily affecting its desktop version. Users reported issues with video previews not loading and the site functioning slower than usual.
Technical Speculations
While YouTube has not provided an official explanation for the recent outage, some users speculated that ad-blockers might be linked to the problem. On Reddit, users suggested disabling ad-blockers as a temporary fix. Notably, YouTube advertising is a key revenue source for Google, generating significant income. However, there is no concrete evidence linking ad-blockers to the outage.
Conclusion
The recent YouTube outage underscores the platform’s critical role in global digital life, with over 2.7 billion monthly users relying on it for entertainment, education, and communication. While services have been restored, the lack of transparency regarding the cause of the outage raises concerns about the platform’s reliability. Users are advised to stay updated through official channels and report any further issues promptly.
