Google Cloud Outage Disrupts 50 Major Internet Services Worldwide

A major Google Cloud outage on June 12, 2025, disrupted more than 50 popular internet services including Spotify, Discord, and Snapchat, highlighting the far-reaching impact of cloud infrastructure failures. The incident, which began at 10:51 AM PT, affected critical Google Cloud infrastructure components and cascaded to numerous third-party services, including Cloudflare’s operations.

Key Takeaways:

• Global disruption impacted 50+ major internet services and platforms
• Issues originated in Google Cloud infrastructure affecting multiple regions
• Recovery efforts took several hours with varying success across regions
• The incident exposed cloud dependency risks for businesses
• Service restoration was prioritized by region with us-central1 facing extended delays

Initial Impact and Service Disruptions

The widespread outage began affecting users worldwide as Google’s cloud infrastructure experienced significant disruptions. Core services including Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Calendar faced immediate impact. Thousands of users reported issues on DownDetector, indicating the substantial scale of the problem.

Cascade Effect on Third-Party Services

The ripple effect of the outage extended beyond Google’s direct services. Popular platforms dependent on Google Cloud faced significant disruptions. Here are the major services affected:

• Spotify – Complete service interruption
• Discord – Chat and server connectivity issues
• Snapchat – Image sharing and messaging problems
• Character.AI – Platform unavailability
• AI coding platforms (Cursor, Replit) – Service downtime

Response and Recovery Timeline

Google’s incident response team began investigating the outage at 11:46 AM PT, while Cloudflare reported their first disruptions at 11:19 AM PT. The recovery process was methodical but complex, with different regions experiencing varying levels of service restoration. By 12:41 PM PT, initial mitigation measures were implemented.

Infrastructure Dependencies and Reliability Concerns

This incident has spotlighted the vulnerabilities in modern cloud infrastructure. As AI and technology continue advancing, the dependency on cloud services grows more critical. Businesses might need to consider multi-cloud strategies to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

Future Implications and Recommendations

The outage serves as a reminder for businesses to review their cloud dependency strategies. Similar to recent tech disruptions, this incident emphasizes the importance of having robust backup plans. For those looking to improve their service automation and reliability, platforms like Latenode offer solutions for creating efficient backup automation systems.

Recovery Status and Ongoing Efforts

While most regions saw service restoration by 20:57 UTC, the us-central1 region required additional attention. The recovery process involved careful monitoring and gradual service reinstatement to prevent further disruptions. Google Cloud’s status page provided regular updates throughout the incident.