As with anything you purchase, it is only normal to expect your smartphone to work as advertised.
However, if you’ve used mobile technology and gadgets for long enough, you’ll also know that these devices can just up and develop a mind of their own at any given moment!
For instance, you may wake up one day to find that suddenly nothing seems to be working on your phone- likely prompting the question:
“Why is nothing loading on my phone?”
One of the most common reasons as to why nothing is loading on your phone is a lack of internet connectivity, either due to a faulty Wi-Fi network or cellular data issues.
However, network issues aren’t always the culprit.
There are a few other possible factors behind processes becoming stuck on your phone, such as location-based restrictions or exhausted disk storage.
In this article, we’ll walk you through these other reasons and also provide you with expert tips on how you can fix the problem. Keep reading to learn all you need to know!
Why is Nothing Loading On My Phone Today?
Imagine it’s 5 AM, and all you want to do is catch up with the latest trending news on Twitter before you set out for the day.
However, as you scroll through your timeline, you keep seeing the popup message “Cannot retrieve tweets at this time. Please try again later”.
It gets increasingly frustrating as you visit other apps, such as Hangouts or your meditation app- only to find out their features are also not loading!
Don’t panic! Here are a few reasons why nothing is loading on your phone today:
1. Poor Internet Connectivity
Whenever internet-based features on a smartphone don’t work as intended, most users’ first reaction is to check their internet connection. However, not everyone considers this as the first port of call.
Certain apps may not load properly or at all if the internet connectivity is poor or nonexistent.
This may be due to a poor network signal in your location or because your mobile data subscription has expired. Whatever the case- no internet, no go!
2. Location-Based Restrictions
Another possible reason why nothing is loading on your phone may be due to restrictions in your current location.
For instance, there are certain countries where popular social media apps such as TikTok and Twitter are restricted.
Say you take a trip to China and decide to tweet your 50 followers; no matter how strong the internet connection is, you won’t be able to use the app or its features due to the current Twitter ban there!
3. Using VPNs
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides secure browsing over public networks such as ones you’d find at a cafe or library.
However, as useful as they can be, some VPNs may also cause connectivity issues and user experience on certain apps.
Take the popular streaming app Netflix, for example.
If you try to access Netflix while using certain VPNs, your movie collections will be affected, and you may find some of your favorites missing.
What’s more? If you actually click into any of the available movies, you’ll get error messages like “you seem to be using an unblocker or a proxy”.
This is just one example of how VPNs can cause certain geographically-restricted apps to not load properly on your phone.
4. Low Disk Storage
Low disk storage is another reason certain features may not load on your phone.
For instance, if you’re using a Samsung smartphone and your disk storage falls below the threshold level, you won’t be able to load features like your photo gallery.
Instead, you’ll receive a “Not enough space” notification on every attempt!
What Do You Do When Your Phone Won’t Load Anything?
You’ll now have an idea of the likely reasons as to why nothing is loading on your phone!
The next step is actually fixing the issue so that you can access your apps and files once more.
Here are a few things to do when your phone doesn’t load anything:
1. Check And Reset Your Network Settings And Internet Connection
A good place to start when you want to check for good internet connectivity is the signal strength icon on your phone.
How many bars does your mobile or Wi-Fi network show? Note that the more bars there are, the stronger the signal will be.
To fix a phone that won’t load internet-based features, check that you’re actually in range and change the position of the router or phone as necessary.
If that doesn’t have a beneficial effect, the next step is to refresh the internet connection by turning it off for 15 seconds and then turning it back on again.
At the same time, also ensure that you have internet access at the router level or an active mobile data subscription if that’s what you’re using!
2. Use A VPN
The purpose of a VPN is to hide your online activity and protect you from cybersecurity issues such as identity theft and hacking.
Additionally, a VPN can be a lifesaver when those features don’t load properly in selected regions with restricted access to specific phone or app features.
Therefore if you live in or are visiting a city where you cannot load certain features or apps, try using a VPN.
3. Disable Active VPNs
VPNs can be both a blessing and a curse.
If you cannot access certain geographically restrictive features on your phone, it may be a good idea to disable any active VPN you might have to see if the app will load properly.
4. Use Cloud Storage Or External Storage
As we mentioned earlier, low disk storage can be a major reason why nothing loads on your phone.
If that’s the case, it’s definitely recommended to make use of cloud storage apps like iCloud, Google Photos, DropBox, or OneDrive.
Using these storage solutions will help you to free up memory on your device so that it can function swimmingly!
Alternatively, most Android smartphones come with expandable memory in the form of an SD card.
If you use an Android device, you may therefore want to consider moving some of your files and data off your phone’s internal storage and onto a memory card instead.
If you are an iPhone user, you’re unfortunately out of luck when it comes to expandable memory, and an eventual upgrade to a model with more extensive storage may be necessary unless you choose to rely on iCloud more heavily!
Clear The Cache, Too
Sometimes, the trick to getting your smartphone to load properly again is to clear the cache.
If you notice that one or more apps are not functioning as they should, clearing the respective app data and caches can help tremendously.
Clearing the cache can significantly improve your phone’s performance so that apps can load as intended.
Click here to learn how to clear the cache of all apps on your Android phone at once- or just use a phone cleaner app to do the job for you!
5. Restart Your Phone
Restarting your phone is arguably the oldest trick in the book.
There are many software issues that restarting your smartphone can fix- including scenarios where nothing is loading!
Depending on the type of phone you use, if the screen is still responsive, you can restart your phone normally with the power toggle slider.
Otherwise, you can force restart by pressing and holding down the power and volume down buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds until the phone restarts.
The Bottom Line
Few things are as frustrating as a phone that won’t load anything.
Thankfully, there are many known causes when it comes to why this issue occurs- as well as plenty of troubleshooting tips to help resolve them. Should the problem persist, we suggest getting in touch with the nearest mobile repair store for further assistance.
Some of these issues include poor or no internet connection, location-based restrictions, low disk storage, and using VPNs while accessing geographically-restricted apps and features.
The reason your phone isn’t loading anything may be due to one (or a combination) of these causes.
Try out each of the recommended fixes above until you find one that works for you, and get your phone loading like normal again!