Why is Snapchat Not Working & How To Fix It
Even though other apps have adopted similar functionalities as Snapchat over the years, the Snapchat app continues to be one of the most popular ones on mobile phones.
There are over 280 billion Snapchat users who have downloaded this app on the Google Play Store and the App Store all over the world, participating in chatting, augmented reality games, and Snapchat streaks.
Therefore, there’s an enormous audience of Snapchatters that needs to be taken care of.
Unfortunately, there have been recent reports about some issues with the Snapchat app.
Is Snapchat not working?
Do not despair - we’ll show you how to solve the problems that appear when Snapchat crashes.
Of course, if there’s any trouble with this app, it’s important to identify what’s happening.
In this blog post, we’ll be talking about:
- What to do in case the Snapchat App has some problems;
- How to fix Snapchat in your device;
- How to reach out to the Snapchat apps’ support website if the bug persists.
Why Is Snapchat Not Working? 5 Common Issues
Nevertheless, why is Snapchat not working, though? Shouldn’t an app with thousands of users all over the world offer a perfect service?
Well, nothing is perfect, much less on social media platforms when outages can happen all the time.
The reason for the most recent outages on the app is the new features that the company is trying to implement in Snapchat.
Snapchat is great for sending a snap, a message, photos, and even videos to other people, but the new features include an option called “My Places.”
Did you know? By implementing “My Places,” the company is trying to expand Snapchat’s location services so they can save their favorite places in easy steps.
The team has been working on a fix to give good news to thousands of Snapchat users.
1. Snapchat Camera Issues
This error happens when your Snapchat camera shows a black screen or you simply can’t access the camera at all.
When your snapchat camera is not working, you might want to check your camera permissions as well as restart the phone.
Also try to clear Snapchat cache - this alone helps in many Snapchat related issues.
2. Snapchat Notifications Issues
Another common issues is when your Snapchat notifications are not showing up.
This could be related to your phone’s settings - like disabled notifcations, Do Not Disturb mode or issues with Snapchat app.
3. Snapchat Stuck on Loading Screen
See the common ways to solve it here - Snapchat loading error.
4. Snapchat Keeps Logging Out
This is one of the recent errors where the Snapchat app will keep logging you out.
Every time you try to login it will say that all your friends are unknown and it will take you straight back to the login screen.
Or it will just display “Something went wrong, try again later”.
We recommend to try clearing Snapchat cache.
5. Snapchat Won’t Open
In some cases, Snapchat will not open at all! If restarting your phone does not help, try to clear app’s cache.
First Things First - Check a Down Detector
Now, before you rush yourself to fix an issue that might not be happening to others, you first must check if there’s a real problem with Snapchat servers.
There are different ways to check if the servers are working, but we highly recommend using the following Down Detector:
Here you can see an outage map of the problems (if they exist) in this social media platform.
If, after checking the servers’ status, Snapchat is still having trouble, then it’s time to follow the troubleshooting guide below.
Problems With the Snapchat App in Your Mobile Device
At this point, it’s crucial to find an effective solution for Snapchat issues.
A lot of different factors might cause the problem, some of them depend on your phone device, and some of them don’t.
Therefore, we are confident that some of these tips will help you to solve the problem on your phone.
Pro-Tip: Snapchat doesn’t have an official website version for its app.
Some people try to establish a connection with a Mac or PC by using Android Emulator Apps, but if you decide to use this system, you can have even more trouble while using this app.
Restart Your Phone (iOS or Android)
Have you considered that the issues on the Snapchat app might be caused by your phone?
Some users might have hardware issues with their devices or there could be a glitch with system settings, especially after the update.
This is why we recommend starting with the most common ways to resolve the app issues: simply restart the Snapchat app.
Just log out and then log in. If the issue still exists, try to restart your phone.
Still, if the app services are still not working, you might want to follow the next step.
Manually Update the App
Back in October 2021, when there was a lot of people writing comments about the app issues on Twitter, the official Snapchat Support Account posted the following tweet:
We’re aware that some Snapchatters are having issues using the app right now - hang tight, we’re looking into it!
— Snapchat Support (@snapchatsupport) October 13, 2021
The team said that the best course of action for the users was to manually update Snapchat in the App Store (or Google Play Store if you have an Android).
After the update, the issue should be (in theory) solved, and all the users could go back to sending snaps.
Check Your Internet Connection
Maybe the problem isn’t Snapchat.
The issue might be your internet connection, your Wi-Fi, or mobile data.
Turn on your data and turn off your Wi-Fi.
This should show you if the problem is the internet connection.
If the issue still persists, then it’s time to check the app network permissions.
Go to System Settings, Permissions and check if all permissions are enabled.
Clear the App Cache
Follow these steps to clear the cache:
Step 1: Go to Settings inside Snapchat (gear icon in your profile).
Step 2: Select “Clear cache” option.
If this doesn’t solve the issue on your account, go to the next step in the list.
Check If You Can Send Snaps
Imagine you have the latest Snapchat update, and it is still not sending snaps.
In this case, your Snapchat account could be locked to send snaps.
Read our how to unlock Snapchat account guide.
This happens if you send too many spammy snaps to other users.
If your account is locked to send snaps, the issue doesn’t have anything to do with the servers or the app.
Contact Snapchat and try to provide information about how you use the app to start sending snaps again.
Sending snaps helps you to increase your Snap score so the sooner you can send them, the better!
As a Last Resort, Contact the Snapchat Support
There’s a chance for users that any of the previously mentioned tips won’t work to fix Snapchat.
In this case, the best way to proceed is to contact the Snapchat Team.
You can do this by going to this website or selecting the Support option inside the Apps Settings.
We hope that with every update Evan Spiegel and his team introduce, there will be fewer issues and more features, like the recent Snapchat dark mode.
So, have you had any reports of Snapchat not working lately?
Feel free to share with us your experience and check other articles on our site.
Snapchat Not Working FAQ
Why is Snapchat Failing?
There are a number of reasons why this app might fail, but the recent outages were caused by new features implemented in Snapchat.
Worry not - their team is working day and night to solve any kind of problems.
Why Are My Snaps Not Sent to One Person?
There are three scenarios by which this can happen:
- Problems with your mobile device;
- Issues with the Snapchat app or servers;
- Your account has been locked (or the user you are trying to write to has blocked you).
Whatever the reason is, we’ve got you covered. Read our content to find out how to solve all of these issues.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.