Are you looking forward to your daily dose of TikTok only to find the platform isn’t working on your device? How annoying. Why is my TikTok not working? You wanted to scroll through your FYP, and now you can’t open the app.
Don’t worry. These things happen. Tech is great, but it’s not perfect, and there’s probably some minor issue preventing you from accessing TikTok.
Before you throw your hands in the air and give up, try a few methods to get the app to open. This post unpacks our top tips to resolve the issue.
Why Is My TikTok Not Working?
Your TikTok might fail to open on your device for several reasons. You can relax if you didn’t receive a notification saying the TikTok team banned your account. Chances are the problem is one of the following tech issues.
- Server downtime.
- Problems with your internet connection.
- Issues with your device and settings.
- Updates are waiting for installation.
- You ran out of data on your mobile device.
- A malfunction with the app.
- Corrupted or overloaded cache.
- Limitations on service in your area.
- Issues with your content violating the TikTok terms of service.
Let’s walk you through each of these problems and how to resolve them. We’ll have you back to scrolling through your FYP in no time.
Check the TikTok Server Status
If the TikTok server is down, the app won’t work on any device. The server might experience a partial or full malfunction, affecting certain countries, while the app works in other destinations.
Try opening the app on a friend’s device. If it works, the problem is on your side and has nothing to do with the server.
If your friend can’t open their app, it’s the server, not the device. You’ll have to wait for the TikTok team to resolve the issue and return service to the platform and users.
Downtime is a rare phenomenon and only lasts a few hours at most. You can use a website like “DownDetector” to tell if the server is down.
Restart Your Device or App
If your friend can access TikTok and you can’t, the problem is with your device. Start by toggling your device to airplane mode, wait a few seconds, and toggle back to Wi-Fi.
If that doesn’t work, try rebooting your phone and see if it makes a difference. Close all the apps on your phone and restart the device. In most cases, this method will restore access to your account.
Check the Internet Connection
TikTok needs a live internet connection to load the platform on your device and grant access to your account. If your Wi-Fi is down, you won’t have any way of contacting the server.
Your connection might be unstable. If that’s the case, the app will provide intermittent service and appear glitchy during use. Some videos may load and refuse to play, or they might run in a loop that you can’t stop.
Check if your Wi-Fi connection is live and run a speed test to see if it’s sending and receiving data. If you’re trying to access the platform through your work Wi-Fi, your company might have a block on the site, resulting in TikTok not loading on your device.
Check Your Data Consumption
If you’re trying to open TikTok on a device and the Wi-Fi is down, your phone should automatically toggle to cellular data to give you access. If you don’t have any data on your phone account, TikTok won’t load.
Check that your device is using cellular data. Visit the settings tab and navigate to Cellular > Cellular data to see if it’s working. If you don’t have any data left, buy more and top up your account to load the app.
Update Your App
The TikTok team is constantly working on improving the app and service to users. Apart from the user-facing features, the team also works on technical issues you won’t even notice, like security.
The team releases regular updates to the app to improve its security and user experience. If you have an update pending download and installation, it may cause the app to malfunction.
Most devices have “auto updates” turned on as a default, but you might be running a security app that disables this function. Check to see if you’re running the auto-update function.
Check your device for any pending updates you haven’t installed and install them if required. If available, visit the updates tab in your device settings and execute the update.
Check TikTok App Permissions
TikTok requires access to features of your device, like the microphone, camera, and many other components, to provide a smooth user experience. If your settings deny the app access, it won’t work properly on your device.
Follow this process to ensure TikTok has access to all the features it needs on your device.
- Open your device’s “Settings” tab and tap “Apps & notifications.”
- Click the option to view installed apps and open TikTok.
- Click the “Permissions” tab and grant access to all requirements.
- Relaunch the app and see if it makes a difference.
Clear The TikTok App Cache
The TikTok app, and every application on your device, stores “caches.” These temporary files help the app run efficiently, but too many caches may crash the app or cause it to hang.
If you clear the cache, the app will recover and resume normal function. Follow these steps to clear the cache and restore the service.
- Open your TikTok app on your device.
- Visit “Profile” and tap the “Options” icon in the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap “Settings and privacy.”
- Under the “Cache & Cellular” tab, tap “Free up space.”
- Tap the clear button.
If that doesn’t work, try clearing the cache on your device. Here’s the method for doing this on Android and iOS devices.
Clear Cache on Android
- Open “Settings.”
- Visit “Applications.”
- Select “TikTok.”
- Tap “Storage.”
- Tap “Clear Cache.”
Clear Cache on iPhone
- Open “Settings.”
- Tap “General.”
- Visit “Storage.”
- Select “TikTok.”
- Tap “Offload App.”
Delete and Reinstall TikTok on Your Device
If you’re still out of luck and the app won’t work, try uninstalling and reinstalling it on your device. Press the TikTok app icon on your device and hold it down until you see the menu tray appear. Click “Uninstall” on Android or “X” on iPhone.
Visit the Play Store for Android devices or the Apple App Store for iOS. Download and reinstall the TikTok app and see if it opens.
Install a VPN
If this is your first time using the app, and it won’t open, you might be in a country outside TikTok’s service area. Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan banned TikTok due to privacy issues.
Fortunately, you can get around these tyrannical government blocks using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). There are dozens of VPNs available. We recommend going with a reputable service like Surfshark or ExpressVPN.
Don’t use a free VPN. It likely won’t work, and you won’t be able to download or access TikTok using these free services.
Your Content Violates the Terms of Service
If you post content to the platform that violates the terms of service and community guidelines, TikTok might ban your account. The app restores access after you delete the offending post.
In some cases, severe violations of TikTok’s community guidelines and TOS may result in a permanent ban on your account, with no chance of appeal.
Contact TikTok Support
If you get no joy from these tips, contact TikTok customer support. Open the app and complete the following steps.
- Visit “Profile.”
- Tap the “Options” icon in the top right corner of the screen and choose “Settings and privacy.”
- Under the “Support & About” tab, tap “Report a Problem.”
- Choose the topic that matches your problem.
- Tap “Submit.”
Wrapping Up – Why Is My TikTok Not Working?
There could be several reasons TikTok isn’t working on your device. Follow the tips in this post to restore service. In most cases, it’s a simple fix.
