Global AWS Outage Today: Venmo, Amazon, and Major Websites Go Down — Here’s What Happened

Wondering why is Venmo down or why Amazon isn’t working today? A global AWS outage on October 20, 2025, caused major internet disruptions. Here’s what happened, which apps were affected, and when the issue might be fully fixed

Tech Oct 20, 2025 0 59 Add to Reading List

Global AWS Outage Today: Venmo, Amazon, and Major Websites Go Down — Here’s What Happened

What's Happening with the Internet Today?

If your favorite apps like Venmo, Amazon, or Canva suddenly stopped working, you're not alone.

As of October 20, 2025, the internet is experiencing a massive AWS outage that has caused global service disruptions.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) — which powers a large portion of the world's online infrastructure — suffered a technical failure in its US-East-1 region.

This outage led to a domino effect, taking down some of the biggest names on the internet.

So if you're asking "why is Venmo down?" or "is Amazon still down?", here's the whole picture.

What Caused the AWS Outage?

Amazon confirmed that the AWS outage was caused by a Domain Name System (DNS) error inside its cloud network.

The DNS is like the internet's phonebook — it directs traffic to the right websites.

When it fails, even the biggest platforms like Venmo or PayPal can't connect properly, resulting in significant downtime for millions of users.

This AWS incident again highlighted the risks of relying on centralized cloud infrastructure.

What Websites and Apps Were Affected?

Here's a quick breakdown of what was impacted by the AWS outage today:

Social & Communication

Reddit
Snapchat
Signal
Canva
Duolingo

Banking & Finance

Venmo
PayPal
Robinhood
Coinbase
Lloyds Bank
Halifax
Chime

Gaming

Roblox
Fortnite

Streaming & Entertainment

Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV
CrunchyrollBusinesses & Others
The New York Times
CollegeBoard
Several UK government portals
Asana and Canvas (both faced temporary outages)

Venmo and PayPal Go Down During AWS Outage

Thousands of users flooded Downdetector and X (formerly Twitter), reporting Venmo not working today — errors during logins, failed money transfers, and app crashes.

The issue wasn't limited to Venmo; since PayPal owns Venmo, both platforms were affected simultaneously.

If you're worried about your money, relax — your funds are safe. The issue only affects accessibility, not your actual balance.

Beware of scams: Fake emails claiming to "fix" your Venmo account are circulating. Never share your password or personal details.

How to Check If a Website Is Down

Here are quick ways to verify if a site like Venmo, Amazon, or Canvas is actually down:

Visit Downdetector.com, which shows real-time spikes in user outage reports.
Check official social pages — AWS, Venmo, and Amazon- and post updates on X.
Ask a friend or coworker — if they have the same issue, it's not just your internet.

AWS Recovery and Current Status

AWS engineers quickly identified the DNS issue and began mitigation steps.

By mid-afternoon, many services were partially restored, though some apps were still slow or were facing intermittent downtime.

If you're wondering "when will AWS be back up?" — the official AWS outage update says recovery is ongoing and most systems should stabilize soon.

Why This Outage Matters

This global AWS outage shows how heavily the world depends on a few cloud providers.

When one region fails, the ripple effect can cause nationwide outages and even a global internet outage today — simultaneously impacting businesses, banks, and governments.

Experts suggest companies diversify across multiple cloud services to avoid such "single point of failure" scenarios in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Venmo having problems right now?

Yes. As of October 20, 2025, Venmo is experiencing connectivity problems due to a widespread AWS outage. Many users are unable to log in, send, or receive payments.

2. Why does Venmo stop working?

Venmo can stop working for several reasons — server outages, maintenance updates, or third-party cloud issues like today's AWS incident. Sometimes, app cache or outdated versions can also cause temporary problems.

3. Why does my Venmo keep saying "something went wrong"?

That message usually appears when Venmo's servers are down or your connection to AWS is interrupted. Try clearing your app cache, updating the app, or waiting until today's AWS issue is resolved.

4. Does PayPal own Venmo?

Yes. PayPal owns Venmo. The company acquired Venmo in 2014 by purchasing Braintree, which is why the same technical issues often affect both services.

5. What caused the AWS outage?

The AWS outage was caused by a domain name system (DNS) failure in Amazon's US-East-1 region. This issue disrupted how traffic was routed to various websites, leading to widespread downtime.

6. What was affected by the AWS outage?

Many apps and websites were affected, including Venmo, PayPal, Amazon, Roblox, Reddit, Canva, Signal, Prime Video, and several government and banking platforms.

7. When was the last major AWS outage?

The last major AWS outage occurred in February 2025, affecting primary services like Slack, Venmo, and parts of Netflix. The October 2025 incident is considered one of the largest since then.