Gmail down: Google's services and Whatsapp backups fail across the globe

It's not just Gmail that's down, Google Drive, Meet, and Whatsapp backups are all experiencing issues as well

Gmail Down
(Image credit: Getty)

Update 10.40AM: Google has provided another update: 'Gmail service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users in the near future. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change.'

Original article continues below…

Just as you thought 2020 couldn't get any worse, Gmail goes down, taking global productivity levels with it. 

The good news is, if you thought you're the only one having Gmail issues, you're not – problems are being reported across the globe according to Down Detector, with complaints starting at around 6:30AM BST.

While the reason for the outage remains unclear, the Google’s status page says: 

'We are continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 8/20/20, 10:38 AM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem.

Gmail sending issues, Meet recording issues, Creating files issues in Drive, CSV user upload issues in Admin Console, Posting message issues in Google Chat, Sites adding new pages issues, Keep issues, Voice mail issues'

Google Down map

A map from Down Detector showing where people are reporting problems with Gmail.

(Image credit: Downdetector)

The problems aren't limited to GSuite products, but also services that use them, such as Whatsapp's backup function. We've been trying up save our precious chat history all morning, only to receive an 'in-progress' message.

Gmail issues seem to manifest themselves in different ways. Some people on Twitter are unable to log-in, while others are able to log-in but can't send emails.

We're having trouble adding attachments to emails.

We'll continue to update this story as Google releases more information, in the meantime, you can check Google's Status Dashboard to see which services are up and running.

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Spencer Hart
Style and Travel Editor

As the Style and Travel Editor at T3, Spencer covers everything from clothes to cars and watches to hotels. Everything that's cool, stylish, and interesting, basically. He's been a part of T3 for over seven years, and in that time covered every industry event known to man, from CES and MWC to the Geneva Motorshow and Baselworld. When he's driving up and down the country in search of the greatest driving roads, he can be found messing around on an electric scooter, playing with luxury watches, or testing the latest fragrances.