Google Maps encountered a major outage on September 11, 2025, disrupting navigational and directional activities for mobile users worldwide. The reports started rising at around 1:34 pm PDT on Thursday, and by 1:45 pm PDT, around 5,159 outage cases were recorded by Downdetector.
Users across different regions encountered difficulties loading maps, which mostly resulted in errors and the display of rough outlines. The major issue was identified as a potential error at Maps SDK for iOS and Android. Google explained the issue as ‘blank map when first showing a map in the application.
A Close Look at the Google Maps Outage:
According to the reports, Android and iOS users failed to load locations and directions on Google Maps. Shockingly, rough outlines were displayed instead of directions. Users have also reported the display of an error message on Maps stating that “Cannot Reach Servers”.
As per the Google Maps Platform Status Dashboard, Google identified the potential issue with the Google Maps Platform Mobile SDK for iOS at 1:34 pm PDT. After investigating the disruption, the issues with Google Maps Services were resolved by 3:27 pm PDT. Mobile users mostly encountered the outage; the web version was unaffected.
Google stated the issue affecting Maps SDK for Android, iOS, and Navigation SDK as “Errors when starting to load map tiles & starting some map services when using Google Maps Platform SDKs”.
Here is the timeline of Google Maps’ issue identification and resolution-
Google’s internal investigation is still in progress, following which a detailed analysis will be issued highlighting the outage. Nevertheless, the firm has thanked the users for their patience throughout the error resolving timeline.
Alternatives Users Can Choose Instead of Google Maps:
Google Maps holds a monthly user base of 2 billion people. For many users, accessing navigation and direction is a part of their daily routine. Global outages in such services create major disruptions across the wide user base.
Although the issues with Google Maps have been resolved, users can use Waze, Bing Maps, HERE WeGo, and others in case of similar issues in the future.
We prioritize delivering tech trends and solutions to learners and professionals. Check out our news section to stay current with all the updates in tech and cybersecurity!
Also Read: Key Pillars of Google’s Vulnerability Management System
