Most users (59 per cent) can't send messages, while others face server connection problems (22 per cent) or app failures (19 per cent).
One said: “Me running to X to see if WhatsApp is actually down or it's my network,” one user tweeted alongside a GIF of people rushing down an escalator.
DownDetector data shows the outage began around 3.10pm, with London hit hardest, though Manchester and Glasgow users are also experiencing significant disruption.
WhatsApp has crashed this afternoon, with thousands of users across the UK reporting issues.
And one joked: “WhatsApp is down, and now X is the new customer care center.
