Google Maps Global Outage Hits Users Worldwide, Service Slowly Restores

Google Maps Experiences Widespread Outage, Service Gradually Recovers A global outage affecting the mobile version of Google Maps left users unable to access maps or directions for several hours on Tuesday. The issue, which began at approximately 3:34 PM ET, was reported by over 4,000 users on Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages. According to Google's Status Dashboard, the company was investigating an issue with the Maps SDK and Navigation SDK, which are software development kits used to power the navigation service. The dashboard noted that "mitigation work is currently underway by our engineering team" and that it was "seeing indications of recovery" at around 5:22 PM ET. "We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve the issue," said a Google spokesperson in an email statement. "We are working diligently to restore full functionality to the service." The outage affected both Android and iOS versions of Google Maps, with users reporting that they were unable to load maps or access directions. In some cases, the apps displayed an error message stating that Google Maps "Cannot reach server." However, the web version of the navigation service was unaffected. Google's Status Dashboard updated at 6:02 PM ET to say that the issue was partially resolved, but that it couldn't share a specific timeline for full resolution. The company emphasized that its engineering team is working around the clock to restore full functionality to the service. The outage highlights the importance of robust infrastructure and redundancy in online services. "This incident serves as a reminder that even the most reliable services can experience outages," said Dr. Rachel Kim, a computer science professor at Stanford University. "It's essential for companies like Google to invest in robust systems and fail-safes to minimize downtime." As the service gradually recovers, users are advised to check Google Maps' Status Dashboard for updates on the status of the navigation service. Background: Google Maps is one of the most widely used navigation services globally, with over 1 billion active users. The service relies on a complex network of servers and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to provide real-time traffic information, directions, and mapping data. Context: The outage is the latest in a series of high-profile outages affecting Google's services, including Gmail and YouTube. While the cause of the outage has not been officially confirmed, experts speculate that it may be related to issues with Google's cloud infrastructure or software updates. Next Developments: Google will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on its Status Dashboard. Users are advised to check the dashboard for the latest information on the status of the navigation service. *Reporting by Engadget.*