Three major digital platforms experienced significant disruptions recently, leaving millions of users unable to access their services. The Starbucks mobile app, Minecraft servers, and the Xbox Network all reported outages, affecting everything from coffee orders to online gaming. Here’s what we know so far about these widespread issues.
Starbucks App Outage Details
Starting around 10 a.m. ET, the Starbucks mobile app began experiencing widespread outages. Users reported issues with login failures and payment processing errors, with over 1,000 complaints logged within the first hour on Downdetector. The impact of this outage was significant, as it prevented users from redeeming stars or using mobile order and pay features at over 15,000 U.S. locations, according to Starbucks customer service updates.
Starbucks acknowledged the issue via their official Twitter account, stating that their engineering team was investigating the problem. However, no estimated time for resolution was provided, leaving many users in the dark about when they could expect the app to be functional again.
Timeline of the Minecraft Disruption
Simultaneously, the Minecraft servers operated by Mojang Studios went offline. The outage began with “Unable to connect to world” errors appearing for Java Edition players around 9:45 a.m. ET. By 10:15 a.m. ET, the outage had expanded to the Bedrock Edition on mobile and console, affecting cross-play functionality and leading to a peak of 500,000 reported incidents on Downdetector.
Mojang acknowledged the issue via their @Minecraft Twitter account, stating, “We’re aware of the connection issues and working on a fix—stay tuned.” However, they did not specify the root cause of the outage, leaving players to speculate about what might have caused the disruption.
Xbox Network Affected Services
At the same time, the Xbox Network also experienced disruptions to its online gaming and cloud services. Users attempting to launch games were met with error code 0x87DD0006, and issues were reported with sign-ins, multiplayer matchmaking, and cloud saves. The outage was confirmed by Microsoft on their Xbox Support page, which noted that it affected Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC via the Xbox app.
Specific games like Fortnite and Call of Duty experienced matchmaking failures, as reported by over 2,500 users on Downdetector. Microsoft reported partial recovery for some regions by noon ET, but many users were still experiencing issues.
Potential Causes and Common Threads
Initial speculation about the cause of these outages points to a widespread CrowdStrike Falcon sensor update released on July 19, 2024. This update reportedly caused blue screen errors on Windows systems, which may have cascaded to cloud-dependent services like those from Microsoft and Mojang.
While no official link has been confirmed between the Starbucks app issue and the gaming outages, all three services experienced spikes in reports on Downdetector around the same timeframe. This suggests possible shared infrastructure vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity experts from Krebs on Security have noted similar patterns in past incidents involving third-party software updates affecting retail and entertainment apps.
User Impacts and Workarounds
Users affected by these outages have been advised to use alternative methods to access services. Starbucks customers, for example, can use in-store ordering or third-party delivery apps like Uber Eats, according to the Starbucks FAQ. However, rewards points remain intact but cannot be accessed digitally during the outage.
Minecraft players facing downtime are recommended to try single-player mode or offline worlds, as suggested in Mojang’s troubleshooting guide. Xbox users can check Microsoft’s service status for updates and use offline play for single-player titles, though achievements and progress syncing are delayed.
Official Responses and Next Steps
Starbucks sent an email to affected users stating, “We apologize for the inconvenience and are deploying hotfixes,” with a promise of full transparency once the issue is resolved. This was shared on Reddit’s r/Starbucks.
Mojang’s latest update on their status page at 1 p.m. ET indicates partial restoration for Realms servers, urging players to restart clients. Microsoft, on the other hand, has not issued a press release but updated the Xbox Network health dashboard to “Degraded” status, with engineers prioritizing high-impact services like party chat and store access.
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