Snapchat is popular for gamifying communication between friends and keeping the app updated to cater to its majority young audience. However, with several updates and various Android and iOS devices to cater to, the app might stop functioning due to a software bug.
If you’re facing the Snapchat not working, the issue could arise due to an error on the Snapchat app or your phone’s OS. Here we’ve discussed seven ways to fix the Snapchat not working issue.
Restart your phone and app
It doesn’t matter if you’re on iOS or Android; restarting your device can fix anything from app crashes to other system errors and a bunch of other seemingly random issues. So if Snapchat isn’t working on your phone, try restarting it to see if that resolves the issue.
Is Snapchat down?
Now, this doesn’t happen very often since Snapchat is built to support the hundreds of millions of users it boasts; still, you can check if its server is down, and that’s causing the camera not working error.
One of the best ways to ascertain whether Snapchat is down is through their official Support Twitter handle, where the company is pretty active and puts out server error notifications. If you want to double-check Snapchat’s server, you can also do that through third-party websites like Downdetector.
Update Snapchat
App updates bring bug fixes and improvements. If you haven’t updated your app in quite sometime, your installation may be riddled with bugs that need fixing.
Go to the Play Store on Android or App Store on iOS and check for updates to the Snapchat app. If you find one, update the app and then check if the camera issue is fixed.
Updating Snapchat on Android
Open the Play Store and follow the steps mentioned below to update Snapchat.
- In the Play Store, tap on the hamburger menu icon in the top-left.
- Tap on My apps and games.
- You’ll be able to see all apps that require an update here. If you see the Snapchat app, update it and your issue should be resolved.
Updating Snapchat on iOS
Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad and follow the steps mentioned below to update the apps on your device.
- Tap on the profile icon at the top-right of your App Store’s homepage.
- Scroll down a bit to see a list of all the app updates available on the next screen.
- If you see an update available, tap on the Update button beside Snapchat.
Check your internet connection
Snapchat requires an active internet connection to function properly. Not having an active connection, whether via WiFi or cellular data, can cause all sorts of issues on the app, including but not limited to crashes, black screens or snaps not sending.
If you’re using mobile data, check if you’ve got proper signals and network coverage and that mobile data is, in fact, enabled. For users on WiFi, try turning it off and on again, make sure you have internet access and that the signal strength is good.
Clear Snapchat app cache
App cache can often cause issues with the smooth functioning of an app. Follow the two methods below, which will help you clear Snapchat’s cache via in-app settings on iOS and Android, and via Android’s device settings.
Clear cache via app settings
Open the Snapchat app and follow the steps mentioned below to clear the app cache.
- Tap on the profile icon at the top-left of the screen.
- Then on the next page, tap on the Gear (Settings) icon at the top-right of the screen.
- On the next page, scroll down to the bottom and tap on Clear Cache under Account Actions.
Clear cache via Android settings
Open your Android device settings and follow the steps mentioned below to clear the Snapchat app cache.
- Tap on Apps & notifications
- On the next page, if you’ve recently used Snapchat, it will appear under Recently opened apps at the top. If it doesn’t, tap on the See all apps option. Then find and tap on the name of the app whose cache you want to clear.
- On the next page, tap on Storage & cache.
- Then tap on Clear Cache.
Reset app preferences
You can also try resetting app preferences to fix the tap to load on Snapchat. This makes sure all app settings go back to their factory defaults. However, this will not delete any app data.
- Head over to your phone’s settings and tap on Apps & notifications.
- Tap on Show all apps.
- Tap on the three vertical dots in the top-right.
- Select Reset app preferences from the dropdown options.
Check app permissions
Snapchat needs multiple permissions to function, including camera, microphone and local storage. You can check if you’ve enabled these permissions from either the phone’s settings or via Snapchat’s in-app permissions in settings.
Also read: How to know if someone unfriended or blocked you on Snapchat?
More Snapchat fixes
If you’re facing a specific issue, you can check fixes to other Snapchat errors that we’ve covered below.
- How to fix the ‘Snapchat Stuck on Sending’ error?
- 10 ways to fix the ‘Snapchat Camera Not Working’ error
- How to fix ‘Snapchat black loading screen stuck on tap to load’ issue?
- Why does Snapchat keep crashing? 8 fixes
- How to fix ‘Snapchat notification not working’ error?
