Social App Not Working? A 5-Minute Diagnostic Flow

When your social apps stop working, it’s more than just an annoyance. As well as a source of entertainment, social apps have become a big part of many of our jobs. And while these apps are usually reliable, there will be times when you find yourself wondering, is Reddit down? Has Facebook had an outage? Is the problem on my end, or on theirs?

If your social apps stop working, you can usually get things up and running again with a few simple steps. Let’s take a look at what to do so you can solve the problem and get back to posting content again.

• Check platform status

First, you need to know whether the platform is down or the problem is on your end.

• Check a status page or outage monitor to see whether others are affected. Many of these also show how many people have reported the issue and when.
• Scan X or Reddit. Problems with popular websites tend to be reported quickly.
• If the problem is with the platform itself, there’s not much you can do except wait. As every minute offline affects their revenue, these platforms prioritize rapid incident resolution. Sometimes, like during the 2024 CrowdStrike outage, the problem isn’t with the platforms themselves, but somewhere else in the chain.

• Rule out account issues

If you’ve confirmed that the service is working for other people, then the problem is somewhere on your end. First, check the basics:

• Log out and back in. Sometimes, sessions timeout, and you need to log back in to restart them.
• Try a different account. If you have multiple accounts, you could try logging in with a different one. That will tell you if the problem is related to a specific account.
• Check for alerts. Your account may have been flagged, and if that’s the case, the app will usually send you a warning.

• Update the app

Sometimes, when a social app gets updated, the old version no longer works properly. Check if you have the latest version of the app:

Android

• Open the Google Play Store and tap your profile icon on the top right of the screen.
• Go to Manage apps and device > Updates available.
• Find your social media app from the list and tap the update button next to it.

iPhone

• Launch the App Store and tap on the profile icon at the top right of the screen.
• Scroll down the list to see which apps have updates available.
• Find your social media app and tap Update.
• Enable auto updates so that you don’t run into this problem again.

• Clear app cache and data

Your social apps store lots of data, and over time, this data can get corrupted. Clearing your cache can resolve lots of problems, including loading loops and feed errors.

Android

• Go to your device Settings menu.
• Tap on Apps, then find the app you are trying to fix. Tap on it, then tap on Storage > Clear cache.

iPhone

Apple doesn’t allow separate cache clearing. The only way to clear your cache is to delete and reinstall the app.

• Free up storage

Low device storage can sometimes cause problems with different apps.

• Delete unused files and apps. Back up photos and videos to a storage service, then delete them to make more space on your device.
• Make sure the app has the permissions it needs (camera, microphone, storage, notifications). If it doesn’t, you may not be able to post or even log in.

• Test your internet connection

A slow connection could be the reason you can’t post or reach the website.

• Perform a speed test to make sure your connection isn’t too slow.
• Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data on your phone to see if that makes a difference.
• Restart your router if your Wi-Fi is slower than usual.

• Restart your device

Restarting your device can reset background processes and resolve minor glitches. Try this if nothing else works.

• Try last-resort fixes

When you’ve tried everything else and nothing seems to be working, try these steps:

• Delete and reinstall the app.
• Try the online version. Social apps like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok allow you to log in through your phone’s browser.
• If other steps fail, update your device’s OS. Updates can take time and may require a restart, so treat this as a last resort.

What to do when your social app is not working

Most problems with social apps can be solved in under five minutes. Whether you use social media for entertainment or work, go through these steps individually. You’ll almost certainly find a solution.