Image: Getty Images/Westend61

Global messaging service WhatsApp has returned to normal after suffering an outage.

Problems with the messaging service, owned by Meta, started around 8am BST, preventing users from sending and receiving messages.

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Users were unable to send messages, and according to DownDetector, reports of WhatsApp being down were made across North America (including the US and Canada), Europe (including the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy), along with reports it was down in Israel, India, Australia, and many other countries around the globe.

"We're aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages and we're working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible," a WhatsApp spokesperson told .

However, it now appears that WhatsApp messages that were queued up during the outage are sending and the service is back up and running again, some time just before 10am BST. 

"We know people had trouble sending messages on WhatsApp today. We've fixed the issue and apologise for any inconvenience," WhatsApp told .

has asked WhatsApp for details of what caused the outage but the company is yet to provide an answer at the time of writing.

WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging apps on the planet, with about two billion users across the globe. 

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