May 12, 2026
When pop-ups start poppin' off
When life gives you lemons, write better error messages
Wix tried to make error pop-ups nicer, but users demanded the juicy details
TLDR: Wix reviewed more than 7,600 error messages and rewrote them to be clearer, kinder, and more helpful. But commenters instantly split into camps: one side loved the user-friendly push, while the other begged companies to stop hiding the real details behind polite fluff.
Wix thought it was doing a public service: after realizing far too many of its warnings were vague, blamey, or downright useless, the company launched what it jokingly called “Errorgate 2021” and rewrote thousands of error messages in a month. The idea was simple: stop telling people “Something went wrong” and start telling them what happened, whether it was the company’s fault, and what the user can do next. Sounds wholesome, right? Enter the comments, where the real show began.
The biggest backlash was basically: nice tone, but where are the details? One commenter exploded at the classic “File not found” with a desperate “Which file?!?!” Others argued that even if plain language is good, stripping out the nerdier clues makes messages less useful, not more. In other words, the crowd was very much don’t just comfort me—give me receipts. One popular feeling was that a mysterious code is still better than a smiley-faced shrug.
Still, not everyone came to fight. Some readers praised the idea that error messages reveal how a company thinks about people, accessibility, and care. Others said tone depends on context: your bank should not be cracking jokes, but a game or entertainment app maybe can. And yes, the thread also delivered meme energy, with one reader admitting they couldn’t read the title without hearing Cave Johnson from Portal 2. Truly, the internet can turn even pop-up warnings into discourse, stand-up, and therapy all at once.
Key Points
- •Wix launched an internal effort called 'Errorgate 2021' to rewrite thousands of error messages across its platform in about a month.
- •The article defines bad error messages as those with inappropriate tone, technical jargon, blame-shifting, or unnecessary generic wording.
- •Wix says good error messages should explain what happened and why, reassure users, show empathy, and offer clear recovery steps.
- •The company decided not to blame users or third parties in error messages and to acknowledge when the issue is on Wix’s side.
- •A search of Wix’s content management system found 7,643 keys containing the word 'error,' all of which required at least review.