Apple Fixes App Store, iMessage, Apple TV, and Maps After Hours-Long Outage
Apple brought back several key services late Tuesday night after a major outage blocked users from downloading apps, streaming videos, and using live maps.
The issue kicked off at 6:48 p.m. ET and didn’t end until around 10:30 p.m. ET, based on Apple’s System Status page. During this time, key services like the App Store, Apple TV+, and Maps Traffic were either not working or worked only for some users.
As the outage went on, more services were affected. Many users could not send iMessages, check iCloud Mail, read Apple News, or access Photos. Some people said Apple TV+ shows wouldn’t play, while others couldn’t use Maps for traffic updates or directions.
The outage also caused problems for developers. Because the App Store was down, they could not release app updates. This issue also affected third-party app stores in the European Union that rely on Apple’s systems. At the same time, iWork for iCloud had syncing problems, which may have disrupted people working together on documents online.
Business and education tools were impacted as well. Services such as Apple School Manager and Apple Business Essentials were reported as experiencing issues during the outage.
Users Reaction on the Outage
- A user on twitter find this outage very frustrating because his app was processing for the distribution.
apple store connect is down, my app was processing for distribution I'm frustrated pic.twitter.com/YMZ0gWLWrl
— MARTIN (@condetmartin) January 21, 2026
2. Another user faced the same issue while he was about to launch an app update.
App Store Connect down… right when I am trying to release an app update lol pic.twitter.com/dM2xzsqD4B
— Danny Franklin (@ItsMeChalks) January 20, 2026
3. Another user tagged Apple and asked them to resolve the issue cause he was unable to submit his app for re-review.
I can't even submit my app for a re-review because app store connect is down.@Apple fix pls now pic.twitter.com/hGv45kMuWy
— Vaughn Hatfield (@hatfield28810) January 21, 2026
4. Many developers have raised their voices because they were unable to check the status of their apps, which they submitted for review.
The "Universe is Pranking Me" Day 11 of waiting for App Store Review (submitted Jan 10).🗓️
Finally worked up the courage to check the status.. and the entire App Store Connect is down. You literally can’t make this up.🫠
Is this a sign? #indiedev #iosdev #buildinpublic #vibecode pic.twitter.com/qQFGzanzNs— Roger C (@rogercampsx) January 21, 2026
What were the Reasons for the Outage
Many services such as App Store, Apple TV, Maps, iWork for iCloud, iMessage, and developer tools stopped working at the same time. This points to a problem deep in Apple’s backend systems. It wasn’t just one app—several services rely on the same shared servers and internal systems.
Yet Apple did not explain what caused the server failure. By late Tuesday evening, the company said all services were back to normal.
The incident shows how much users and businesses depend on Apple’s online services. When these systems go down, even for a few hours, everyday activities like messaging, navigation, work, and app updates can quickly be affected.
