youtube down: Major outage disrupts playback and privacy controls

Users across multiple regions encountered service interruptions that began Thursday morning ET, leaving many unable to play videos or access privacy and cookie settings. The disruption affected both the web and app experiences, with some consumers reporting playback failures and missing consent prompts.

Timeline and scope of the outage

The interruption began early Thursday, with initial failures logged around 9: 40 AM ET and issues persisting into late morning. Errors ranged from stalled video playback and 500-style errors to pages that failed to load privacy and cookie banners. The problem appeared widespread, affecting desktop browsers and mobile apps simultaneously, and users in several time zones reported similar behavior during the same window.

While some users saw temporary restoration within an hour, others continued to experience degraded performance and inconsistent access to account controls. The staggered recovery pattern suggested partial rollbacks and intermittent fixes rather than an immediate full restoration of service.

Privacy and cookie controls disrupted

Alongside playback problems, the platform’s consent-management interface became unreliable for many. Users attempting to adjust preferences found the 'Reject all' and 'Manage privacy settings' options either absent or unresponsive. That left some unable to prevent third-party use of cookies and personal data for additional purposes, and others were unable to withdraw previously granted consent.

The affected interfaces typically include quick actions such as 'Reject all' for immediate opt-out, and a 'Manage privacy settings' flow for granular choices. There are also links intended to allow users to withdraw consent at any time through sections labeled 'Privacy and Cookie settings' or a 'Privacy dashboard. ' During the outage, these pathways were intermittently inaccessible, complicating efforts by users to control tracking and ad personalization.

What users can do now

If you encountered problems today, try these steps to limit disruption and protect your privacy until services stabilize:

• Refresh the page or restart the app. Temporary failures are often resolved by a reconnect.
• Clear browser cookies and cache, or try private/incognito mode, to bypass potentially corrupted local settings.
• Use the device’s network switch (Wi‑Fi to cellular or vice versa) to rule out local network issues.
• If privacy controls are inaccessible, limit exposure by adjusting browser-level privacy: block third-party cookies and tighten site permissions until the platform’s consent interface is restored.
• When the consent UI returns, you can select 'Reject all' if you do not want the platform and partners to use cookies and personal data for additional purposes, or use 'Manage privacy settings' to customize preferences. You can withdraw consent at any time the 'Privacy and Cookie settings' or 'Privacy dashboard' links once they are available again. For more detail, consult the service’s Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy accessible from its site or app.

Users relying on the service for critical workflows should consider temporary alternatives for content access until full functionality and privacy controls are confirmed restored. Keep device software and the app updated, as fixes often arrive in background updates or server-side patches.

We will monitor further developments and report on any broader restorations or guidance issued by the platform as the situation evolves.