If you’re one of the millions of people who use Facebook daily, then you know how important it is to your life and work. While it can be incredibly useful, it’s not uncommon to experience technical difficulties from time to time, especially if you access the site on your smartphone or another mobile device. When this happens, don’t panic! You can try some troubleshooting techniques in order to determine the problem and find a way to fix it quickly and easily. Here are seven ways you can troubleshoot if Facebook is not working on your device.
1) Confirm That the Issue Is With Your Facebook App
For most people, their problem with the app is that it crashes or won’t open. You can troubleshoot this issue by confirming that the problem lies with your device and not the app. To do this, unplug your device from any external power source and restart it. Try opening the app after you have done this and see if the issue persists.
2) Update the App
This means opening the App Store and doing a search for Facebook. Once you find it, click Update at the top of the App’s page. If this doesn’t work, make sure that you have an internet connection and try connecting your device to a different WiFi network or update your App Store settings by going into the Settings app, then go into iTunes & App Stores then select your Apple ID from the list and tap View Apple ID. You should see a window that shows some information about your account. Tap on Restore Previous Purchases. This should take care of things!
3) Clear Caches
To clear your cache, go to the Settings menu and find the tab for Safari. In Safari, tap Advanced at the bottom of the screen. Then in Cached Web Content, tap Clear. Restart your device and try loading Facebook again!
4) Update OS
Before taking any drastic measures, update your phone’s operating system. Often times glitches can be fixed with a software update. You may need to do a restart before updating in order to clear up any existing glitches or conflicts. Some people have found success with clearing the app cache as well, but these solutions are less common and should only be used as a last resort.
If none of these solutions work for you, one option is uninstalling the app and downloading it again from the App Store or Google Play Store. Another option is reinstalling the app from scratch through a computer web browser (often linked below). Unsurprisingly, some users have even taken it upon themselves to factory reset their device after multiple attempts with no luck.
5) Restart Phone/Tablet/Computer
Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, but sometimes things go wrong. The first thing you can do is restart your phone, tablet, or computer. Do this by powering down the device (turning it off and then back on) and see if the problem has been fixed. It’s also worth trying a quick reboot of your device. To do this, press down on the power button until you get a menu asking whether you want to power off or restart the device – pick restart and see if that helps solve your problem.
6) Reset Network Settings
In this situation, you need to take some steps back. Find out if there is a bigger issue by turning off your wireless network and then try accessing the internet again. Repeat the process but turn your phone’s wifi back on and then access the internet for a third time. Observe if your issue appears when you’re accessing it through both wireless networks.
If the same issue keeps appearing after multiple efforts, it’s time for a break before you do any more steps. Sometimes there are outside forces that prevent us from getting our way, so take a few minutes or even hours and walk away from your problem before trying again with renewed energy and focus.
7) Reboot Router/Modem
First, reboot your router or modem by unplugging it from the wall and letting it sit for at least one minute. Second, you might need to log out of your browser and then try logging back in again. Third, make sure you have the most recent version of your web browser. Fourth, check if a Wi-Fi connection is available by clicking Connection and seeing what is available. Fifth, try reinstalling the app. Sixth, make sure to refresh the page in case there are cached content still loading. Finally, check with your cellular service provider as it could be an issue with them.