Apple Pay down: Outage disrupts digital payments as users report widespread issues

Apple Pay, one of the world's most widely used digital payment platforms, experienced a significant outage on May 16, 2025, affecting thousands of users across the United States. As per reports, the disruption, which began around 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time left many unable to make transactions, access their digital wallets, or use related services like Apple Cash and Apple Card. While Apple has since restored most of its services, the incident highlights the growing dependency on digital financial systems and the potential challenges they face.The first signs of the outage appeared when thousands of users began reporting issues on the popular outage tracking platform, Down Detector. At its peak, nearly 3,000 reports were logged, indicating a widespread problem affecting Apple Pay, Wallet, Cash, and Card services. Many users also took to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and Bluesky to share their frustrations about being unable to complete routine transactions. Apple Pay is not available in India.For nearly two hours, Apple Pay and Wallet remained inaccessible for many, significantly impacting users who rely on the service for daily purchases, transportation, and peer-to-peer payments. This prompted many to seek alternative payment methods, with some noting the inconvenience of being unable to access ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, which often depend on Apple Pay for quick transactions.Apple's official status page, which initially showed all systems as operational, eventually confirmed the widespread disruption. The page listed ongoing issues with Apple Pay, Apple Wallet, Apple Card, and Apple Cash, stating that "some users may be experiencing issues with this service." This acknowledgment came roughly an hour after the first reports surfaced, reflecting a delayed response to the problem.By late morning, Apple had updated its status page to indicate that Apple Cash and Apple Card services had returned to normal, while Apple Pay and Wallet continued to experience problems. Despite these updates, some users continued to report lingering issues, suggesting that the recovery process was not uniform across all regions or devices.As of 11:11 a.m. Pacific Time, Apple reported that all affected services, including Apple Pay and Wallet, had been restored. However, the company's status page provided no specific details about the cause of the outage or the steps taken to resolve it. Apple has not yet released an official statement addressing the incident, and requests for comment have so far gone unanswered.While the outage appears to be resolved for most users, some have continued to report sporadic connectivity issues, indicating that the recovery may still be ongoing for a subset of the user base. The incident also sparked renewed discussions online about the importance of having backup payment options, especially as digital payment systems become more deeply integrated into daily life.The timing of the outage, occurring on a Friday morning, likely added to the inconvenience for users attempting to pay bills, transfer funds, or make weekend plans. The incident also highlights the broader implications of relying on digital payment systems, which, while convenient, can leave users vulnerable to sudden disruptions.Given the scale and duration of the outage, Apple Pay's temporary unavailability serves as a reminder of the critical role digital payment platforms now play in global commerce. It also underscores the need for robust backup systems and clear communication from service providers when technical issues arise.