Last updated: October 21, 2026
The quick answer
On the morning of October 20, a “power event” in Google Cloud’s London region (europe-west2) caused hours of disruption for apps that run on it, including Revolut, several UK banks, Spotify and parcel-tracking services. Google says service has been restored, and Revolut said customers’ money and data were safe. The practical lesson is to keep a backup way to pay and to know where to check an outage before you panic.
What happened
Problems began at around 7am UK time on Tuesday, October 20. Google’s status updates described elevated errors and intermittent network failures in its europe-west2 region, which is based in London, and attributed them to a power event. Google said the issue was not Europe-wide. Recovery for most workloads came later that day, and Reuters, Bloomberg and Tom’s Guide all reported services returning over several hours.
Because many companies rent computing power from Google instead of running their own data centers, one failing region rippled out to services that have nothing to do with Google on the surface.
| Service | Reported impact |
|---|---|
| Revolut | Card payments and ATM withdrawals shown as affected on its status page; app access also disrupted |
| Lloyds and Halifax | App and website problems; Lloyds said it expected a quick return to normal |
| HSBC | Some customers had difficulty accessing services |
| Spotify | Spike in outage reports, later resolved |
| Royal Mail and DPD | Tracking and website issues; Royal Mail said deliveries were not affected |
| NHS app, Rightmove, Emma | Loading problems or downtime reported |
Some of these reports come from user-submitted outage trackers, so the exact scale for each service may differ from what is listed.
What it means for you
This was not a hack. Google attributed the disruption to a power event, not a cyberattack, and Revolut said customers’ money and data remained safe. If a payment failed during the outage, check your transaction history before trying again so you don’t pay twice.
Scammers love outages. After high-profile disruptions, fake “compensation” or “verify your account” messages often follow. Your bank won’t text you a link asking for your login because of an outage. If you get one, go to the bank’s app or website directly instead. Our guide to spotting scam texts shows the common patterns, and the FTC’s new report on scams against older adults explains why impersonation scams are so costly.
How to be ready for the next outage
- Keep a second way to pay. A card from a different bank, ideally one that runs on separate systems from your main account, plus a little cash, can get you through a few hours of downtime.
- Know where to check. Bookmark your bank’s official status page or social media account. Outage trackers can help confirm a wider problem, but treat them as rough signals.
- Don’t keep retrying payments. Wait for the service to confirm it’s back, then check your history before paying again.
- Save essentials offline. Boarding passes, tickets and important appointment details are safer as a screenshot or in your phone’s wallet than only inside an app.
- Download music and maps for trips. Offline playlists and offline maps keep working when streaming services stumble.
- Ignore unexpected “outage” messages. Never follow links or share codes in texts or calls about an outage. Contact the company through its official app or the number on your card.
Who is affected, and who isn’t
Affected: mainly people in the UK who used Revolut, some high-street banking apps, Spotify, parcel tracking or the NHS app on the morning of October 20. Customers elsewhere in Europe of companies hosted in London may also have seen problems.
Not affected: most Google consumer services worldwide and services hosted in other cloud regions. There is nothing you need to update or reset because of this outage.
FAQ
Was my bank account hacked during the outage?
No evidence suggests that. Google attributed the problem to a power event, and Revolut said customers’ money and data remained safe. Still, review recent transactions as you normally would.
Will I be compensated for a failed payment or missed delivery?
That depends on each company’s terms, and none of the major firms affected had announced a compensation scheme in the reports we reviewed. If you were charged a fee because of a failed payment, contact your bank directly through official channels.
Why does one Google problem break so many apps?
Many companies host their apps on a handful of cloud providers and often in one region close to their customers. When that region fails and the app has no backup in another region, users feel it straight away.
Leave a Reply