You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

No, It's Not Just You: Customers Everywhere Are Having Meltdowns Over the Starbucks Mobile App Not Working Starbucks mobile app was down starting during early hours on Thursday.

By Emily Rella

entrepreneur daily
Bloomberg | Getty Images

Chaos ensued from the early hours on Thursday when many tired and already disgruntled customers quickly found out that when checking their Starbucks card on the coffee chain's mobile app, it didn't appear to be working which left many begging the question of: Is Starbucks' app Down?

The answer: yes, and it was down bad.

The Starbucks mobile app, which allows users to order ahead, pay in person via their digital Starbucks card and earn stars towards Starbucks rewards, was down across the country for reasons unknown.

Related: Starbucks CEO to Retire, Interim CEO to Accept $1 Salary

Users received a pop-up notification that blamed an "internal error" occurring and urged customers to come back to the app later.

But for the caffeine addicts and Starbucks fanatics, later wasn't going to cut it.

Many dramatically took to the internet to lament about their woes and admitted first-world problems, facing the unknown horrors of having to communicate with people in real life and cursing the app for its inconvenience.

According to Down Detector, the first reported incidents of the Starbucks mobile app not working occurred just before 8:00 am ET, peaking around 10:10 am with over 1,000 reports recorded.

By 3 pm Thursday, there were still over 100 users unable to use their Starbucks card on their mobile app.

In a statement to Business Insider, the coffee chain confirmed that there was a "temporary outage" affecting the order ahead and pay feature in the Starbucks mobile app, but that the company would "We continue to welcome and serve customers in … drive-thrus and stores."

However, around 4:30 pm, Starbucks confirmed to Entrepreneur that the app had been restored to full functionality.

"Earlier today, some customers were briefly unable to access the order ahead and pay feature in the Starbucks app," A spokesperson for the coffee chain told Entrepreneur. "All functionality has been restored and customers are able to continue using the feature in the app."

All eyes have been on the coffee chain lately as many have been watching Starbucks unionizing efforts affecting workers in different cafes and locations across the country.

The first-ever union representing Starbucks workers was voted into effect last December in Buffalo, New York where workers in three separate Starbucks cafes in the Buffalo area will now be represented by a union.

Many other locations have followed suit, with Greenville becoming the first union-represented Starbucks location the state of South Carolina just two days ago.

Starbucks was down about 35.5% year over year late Thursday afternoon, presumably due to shakeups in leadership and other union-related concerns from investors.

Emily Rella

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

He Took His Side Hustle Full-Time After Being Laid Off From Meta in 2023 — Now He Earns About $200,000 a Year: 'Sweet, Sweet Irony'

When Scott Goodfriend moved from Los Angeles to New York City, he became "obsessed" with the city's culinary offerings — and saw a business opportunity.

Business News

Some Costco Stores Are Now Selling a Frozen Item That Looks Just Like a Trader Joe's Fan Favorite

The Frozen Kimbap is a Trader Joe's cult favorite, and now a version can be found at Costco, too.

Science & Technology

AI Will Radically Transform the Workplace — Here's How HR Teams Can Prepare for It

HR intrapreneurs are emerging as key drivers of AI reskilling, thoughtful organizational restructuring and ethical integration, shaping an inclusive future where technology enhances both efficiency and employee development.

Marketing

Why This One Unique Marketing Approach is the Key to Business Growth

Adopting this approach now will help you succeed and see consistent, measurable growth over the long term.

Health & Wellness

How This Millionaire Investor Overcame Opioid Addiction to Become the World's Fastest Marathoner Over 50

Ken Rideout shares five invaluable lessons for achieving peak performance physically and mentally.