Bizarre outage makes planet disappear
A Google Maps outage has left users unable to navigate from point A to point B, its map screen having vanished along with saved places and most of the app’s other features. While the “route planner” function appeared to work on Google Maps’ website, it was all but impossible to use without the visual map interface.
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Over 12,000 people worldwide reported outages starting around 11am EST on Friday, according to DownDetector, which tracks connectivity issues for popular apps.
Even sites like FlightRadar24 were reporting issues linked to the GoogleMaps outage, leading some to wonder if (and how) the planes themselves might be navigating in the dark.
Deprived of their trusted navigational app, users resorted to second-tier programs like MapQuest and Apple Maps.
Some even talked tough about digging up their ancient paper maps.
The app functioned partially for some, though without the graphical user interface it was difficult to make use of it.
The service told TechCrunch it was working on a fix, though it didn’t explain what caused the outage.
