Is Google down? Thousands of users report Search outage, server errors

On May 12, a significant number of users across India experienced difficulties accessing Google Search, with many encountering error messages and blank screens. Reports indicated that users were met with an alarming notification stating, "Server Error. We’re sorry, but it appears that there has been an internal server error while processing your request. Our engineers have been notified and are working to resolve the issue. Please try again later." The outage-tracking service Downdetector noted a sharp increase in complaints around 10:29 AM IST, with peak reports exceeding 3,700. By 11:30 AM, this number had decreased to approximately 155 users still reporting issues. The majority of complaints were associated with Google Search, while others highlighted problems with page loading and site accessibility. According to Downdetector's data, 56% of the reported issues were specifically related to Search, 26% concerned content not loading, and 14% were about accessing the website itself. As the outage unfolded, social media platforms became a hotbed for users sharing screenshots of the error messages, and humorous memes likening the situation to a global crisis quickly spread across the internet. For many users, the disruption seemed to be short-lived, although the precise cause of the outage remained unknown at the time of this report.