Zoom Goes Down as Kids Go Back to Virtual School Everything's back to normal now, but Zoom was experiencing issues for several hours this morning.

By Matthew Humphries

This story originally appeared on PC Mag

via PCMag

UPDATE 12:45 P.M. ET: Zoom says it has "resolved the issue causing users to be unable to start and join Zoom Meetings and Webinars. Users are now also able to sign up for paid accounts, upgrade, and manage their service on the Zoom website." It is now 'monitoring to ensure that these services are operational."

Original Story:
Many millions of people have come to rely on video conferencing services in recent months to keep in contact with friends and family. Mostly these platforms have held up well, but today was a step too far for Zoom it seems.

As ZDNet reports, Zoom is currently down. It just so happens to be the day that millions of students are attempting to go back to school, which in a lot of cases means logging on to virtual classrooms. The result seems to be users of Zoom in the U.S. and UK pushing the service beyond its limits.

Image Credit: DownDetector.com via PCMag

The Zoom status page confirms an incident has occurred and an investigation is underway, "We have identified the issue causing users to be unable to authenticate to the Zoom website (zoom.us) and unable to start and join Zoom Meetings and Webinars, and we are working on a fix for this issue." That message appeared less than an hour ago at the time of writing.

According to DownDetector.com, problems started around 8 a.m. ET, with most of the reported problems (73 percent) affecting logins.

It may be difficult for teachers and students to quickly switch to an alternative video streaming service, so many will simply be waiting until Zoom comes back online, or deciding to give up today and try again tomorrow. That will ultimately result in another big spike in demand tomorrow morning, but hopefully Zoom will be well prepared by then with additional server capacity on hand to cope.

Matthew Humphries

Senior Editor

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2023

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2023.

Devices

Get This 4-in-1 USB-C Charger for Apple Devices for $19.99

Get this useful, lightweight charger for a great price (regularly $29).

Business Solutions

Get MS Office for Mac and Rosetta Stone for $199.99 (reg. $518)

Boost your skills and take advantage of these lifetime deals on sale for a limited time.

Leadership

A Guide to Effective Crisis Leadership — Key Steps to Lead Your Team Through Turbulent Times

The essential strategies and skills required to be a successful crisis leader and guide your organization through difficult times.

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

Too many entrepreneurs are counting too heavily on a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.