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
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
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.
PSA: Starbucks app is down this morning. Thoughts and prayers to those impacted.
— Adeline Kelley (@adelinekelley) May 19, 2022
I'm happy to see that all of Twitter is having a meltdown over the Starbucks app being down this morning and not just me pic.twitter.com/UO69qMMZ6M
— Jennie O'Hara (@jenohara_) May 19, 2022
everyone* is about to be 15 minutes late to work because the @Starbucks app is down so they can't order ahead.
— c (@karlimarxx) May 19, 2022
*it's me, i'm everyone
Not me refreshing the Starbucks app 43 times and even updating it, just to come into twitter and see that it's down for everyone
— Sydney (@SydneyKaytlin) May 19, 2022
The Starbucks app is down and now I have to actually talk to a human first world problems
— Laura (@lalaohsogood) May 19, 2022
the starbucks mobile order app being down this morning ruined my entire life
— courtney. (@courtneythibs) May 19, 2022
I'm unreasonably annoyed that the Starbucks app is down. I feel like it's a sign of how the rest of my day will go.
— Ally Leflar (@darkallyways) May 19, 2022
the Starbucks app being down today has quite literally tipped me over the edge. I've been in meetings for the last TWO HOURS, it's barely 9:30, and I've already had 4 meetings today. let me DIE
— 金嘉怡 | tam (@xotamsox) May 19, 2022
The Starbucks app is down right now so I gotta actually speak and place my order? Sickening. Imma throw up.
— V.SEMEEAH2 (@vsemeeah2) May 19, 2022
Starbucks app, you chose thee WORST time to not be working
— Alex (@alxx13_) May 19, 2022
the starbucks app isn't working and i'm gonna die
— someone's daughter (@darknessappalls) May 19, 2022
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.
