Messaging app Signal has been facing temporary outage amid a massive surge in usage, the platform said.

The service went down for many users across the globe on Friday evening. Users took to social media to report issues with the app. Many users were able to log in or connect to the app. “We are still working as quickly as possible to bring additional capacity online to handle peak traffic levels.” Signal tweeted at 6:39 am IST.

Also read: Signal app suffers temporary outage

Signal had acknowledged the issue on Twitter at 10:03 pm IST stating that the platform was facing certain “technical difficulties.”

The platform had then detailed the issue stating that it was working on additional capacity as usage exceeded projections.

“We have been adding new servers and extra capacity at a record pace every single day this week nonstop, but today exceeded even our most optimistic projections. Millions upon millions of new users are sending a message that privacy matters. We appreciate your patience,” it had tweeted. “We are making progress towards getting the service back online. Privacy is our top priority, but adding capacity is a close second right now,” it added.

Also read: WhatsApp delays new privacy policy by three months amid severe criticism

The app has witnessed a massive surged in new installs following endorsement form Tesla CEO Elon Musk and aid concerns related to WhatsApp’s new privacy policy. The app’s installs on Google’s Play Store alone has witnessed a 5x increase according to a screenshot shared by Signal earlier this week.

Published on January 16, 2021