Millions of users across India experienced significant disruption to online payments today as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system faced a major outage. Popular payment applications like PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm were impacted, leaving many individuals unable to complete their transactions for a period.
Reports of the service disruption quickly mounted throughout the day. Website Downdetector, which tracks service outages by collecting user reports, showed a substantial number of individuals flagging problems with UPI. At its peak, around 850 users had reported issues on the platform.
According to the data compiled by Downdetector based on these user submissions, the most frequent complaint involved difficulties specifically with fund transfers, reported by over 62% of affected users. A significant portion, 21%, cited issues directly with the payment applications themselves, while 17% experienced more general payment processing difficulties. Users currently facing issues can contribute to tracking the outage by reporting their problems on platforms like Downdetector.
While this appears to be the first major UPI disruption reported this month, the system experienced significant outages on more than two separate occasions just last month. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the governing body for UPI, had previously attributed last month’s issues to an overload caused by a high volume of ‘check transaction status’ requests originating from a specific bank, overwhelming the system.
However, as of the time of writing, the NPCI has not yet provided an official explanation for the cause of today’s current outage.
It’s worth noting that this disruption occurs amidst a period of heightened vigilance regarding potential cyberattacks on India’s financial infrastructure. The finance ministry recently urged financial institutions, including NPCI, to remain on high alert due to reported attempts by hackers, particularly those linked to Pakistan. But, to reiterate, the specific reason behind today’s UPI outage remains unclear and has not been definitively linked to any external factors or cyberattacks at this time.
The widespread issues naturally led to considerable frustration and discussion among users online. Many took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) under the trending hashtag #UPIdown to share their experiences and vent their feelings. Amidst the complaints about failed transactions and inconvenience, a significant amount of humor emerged, with users posting relatable memes, videos, and witty remarks playfully referencing the difficulties encountered with major payment apps like Paytm, PhonePe, and Gpay during the downtime.