‘Love Island USA’ First Fan-Voting System Crashes as Viewers Slam ‘Server Error’

Peacock, the top streaming service in the United States, is facing a surge of criticism from fans after ‘Love Island USA’ kicked off the show’s first viewer voting of the season and immediately triggered large-scale app outages.

■ App goes down right after the episode ends… Viewers fume over ‘network error’

According to international outlets including The Hollywood Reporter on the 10th (local time), soon after Episode 7 of ‘Love Island USA’ aired the night before, the show’s official dedicated app—launched with much anticipation for the first fan-voting system—was completely immobilized by traffic overload.

Initially, the production team posted on the show’s official Instagram, saying, “Tonight, use the vote to choose which Islanders you want to become a couple with the new Bombshells—Sol, Jen, and Caleb.” The post added that voting would open nationwide in the U.S. from 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time through 1 a.m. the next day. But as soon as the voting started, a flood of viewers logged in, and the app displayed only a message reading ‘Network Error,’ blocking access.

■ Explosive fan reaction from people who can’t even sleep… Production team rushes to respond

Viewers complained right away on social media, including Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). One user vented, saying, “I’m postponing even my sleep time to vote, but the app doesn’t work.” Another pointed out, “If the server is down, they should extend the voting time.” Some users shared tips, saying they deleted the app and reinstalled it or kept refreshing endlessly before they managed to cast their votes.

After the voting deadline passed, the ‘Love Island USA’ account apologized on its official Instagram, saying, “We sincerely apologize to viewers who experienced inconvenience registering their votes.” It added, “Our technical team is actively working to resolve the issue, and we will share the update situation later.” Peacock, the platform company, has not yet responded to reporting requests about the specific cause of the outage.

■ A bitter setback amid record-breaking success… Will ‘viewer power’ be shaken?

The voting glitch is especially sensitive because a core part of the ‘Love Island’ franchise’s appeal is the ‘fan vote.’ Viewers wield strong influence over the show’s storyline—deciding which couple stays, who gets to enjoy dates with new Bombshells, and which contestant is sent home. That means that the system going down from the first vote can be a fatal blemish for the program’s fairness and immersion.

This season had been on an overwhelming run, breaking Peacock’s ‘best viewing records in the first week since launch,’ so fans’ disappointment is even greater. Meanwhile, ‘Love Island USA’ releases new episodes every week from Thursday through Tuesday, and every Saturday, ‘Love Island Aftersun’—a behind-the-scenes talk show hosted by singer Ciara Miller and creator Tefi Pessoa—airs.