Through several evolutions and updates, Snapchat stands as one social platform that experienced a spike in use even before 2020. Initially, and for the greater part of the existence of this platform, a large part of its daily users have been individuals around the age of 16. However, by 2016, the number of individuals between the ages of 25 to over 35 had begun experiencing a tremendous increase.
Of what use is this brief history of Snapchat’s development? Currently, nearly 300 million people are vying for the services that this platform has in store, relying on these features for entertainment. Therefore, when one of the major attractions of this app fails, it is of concern to its millions of users. In line with this, we will consider two common errors that Snapchat users might encounter – Snapchat not loading snaps or stories – and some simple troubleshooting steps to take when you encounter them.
What could cause your snapshots or Stories to not load?
One of Snapchat’s most compelling features is the Snap stories segment. Like on other social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, the infinite scroll feature employed in displaying reels and stories make individuals lose track of time in the world of entertainment. However, the reel-load/upload process may not always be seamless.
Another Snapchat attraction is the connect-with-friends feature. Individuals love being able to chat with their friends using exciting emojis, emoticons, and so on. What’s more is that with Snapchat, users can directly send snapshots immediately after they are taken. If you are on the receiving end of these shared media, errors may also occur when attempting to load/view them. You might encounter either of these errors;
Connection Failed: With a black background on display, you might find a connection failed message. Following this may be the message “check your network connection and try again” with a retry button below.
Tap to Load: In a less severe situation, you might come across a message asking you to “tap to load” the selected media. However, engaging in this action may not always clear the error message.
Snap notification without seeing the snaps: In some cases, one might receive a notification from Snapchat about a received snap. However, on launching the app, the snap in question may not appear. According to the individuals who have faced this, the snaps may take over ten minutes before they appear.
These errors might appear because of these reasons–
Poor internet connection— Your internet connection plays a major role in loading snaps, seeing how Snapchat is dependent on a good internet connection. When accessing snaps using Wi-Fi, the problem might emerge from your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Using an ISP that does not support activities on Snapchat could cause an error while loading snaps. A poorly connected router could also be the factor making your internet connection weak.
Server Malfunctions— A large company like Snapchat is expected to have measures in place to ensure their servers can handle the traffic they receive. However, sometimes, these servers might experience downtime or an outage.
Glitches on the app— A bug or glitch may appear in the Snapchat app causing stories to not load and snaps to not be received. It could also lead to users receiving timely notifications and delayed snaps. A simple reason such as improper initiation/launch of the app could be the cause of loading errors.
Glitches in specific chats— While using the app, you might have no problems receiving snapshots from most of your contacts, however, this may not be the case with certain friends on your list. This could potentially mean a glitch exists in that chat.
How to rectify ‘Snapshot or Stories not loading’ errors across your devices
Now that we know possible causes to look out for in case you encounter an error, let us now consider ways to rectify these errors, ranging from the less severe to the more drastic measures:
1. Restart Snapchat– A quick restart action would be enough to clear loading errors if improper launching of the app was the issue. Ensure you properly close the app by removing it from your list of recent apps, then relaunch it.
2. Check the status of Snapchat’s servers– Although this happens on rare occasions, it would be best to rule this cause out first. Using a tool like Downdetector would inform you of the state of Snapchat servers at the time. If you do find that the problem stems from Snapchat’s end, it would be better to wait for a few hours before trying the app. If the servers are in the clear, Downdetector would report that “user reports indicate no problems at Snapchat”. If this is the scenario you are faced with, you might want to ensure that all is well with your network next.
3. Ensure you have a good internet connection– Next, you need to check the state of your network provider (Wi-Fi or mobile data). Using a tool like fast.com, you can measure the speed of your network in real-time. If your internet strength is poor, you can do any of the following
Change the source of your network. If you are currently using your mobile data, you might want to switch to an available Wi-Fi network, and vice versa. If you currently do not have mobile data, you could try rectifying the issue with your Wi-Fi by trying either of the following;
a) Forget the network you are currently connected to and reconnect to it.
b) Configure the Domain Name System (DNS) of your Wi-Fi. You could change it to 8.8.4.4 (Google’s DNS) or 8.8.8.8. However, if doing so slows your network down, return your DNS settings to default.
If you are working with a router, you could power-cycle it. This could come in handy when your router has no signal while you are within its range. You can do this by unplugging the router and reinserting the plug or by holding the power switch at the back for 10 seconds.
4. Update Snapchat– If your Snapchat is experiencing errors loading snaps and your network is all set, now would be the time to check for an update to the app on your app store. If there is, update your app to the current version.
5. Enable permissions– Before taking more serious measures, it would help to ensure that all relevant permissions on Snapchat are allowed. To do this, go to the app settings and click on permissions under the account actions segment. Allow all permissions, and restart the app.
6. Log out & login– Still under your Snapchat settings, click on log out which is the last option. After confirming this action, log back into your account.
7. Clear the app Cache– On the account actions segment, you will find the option to clear the cache. This action does not delete any backups, rather it removes duplicates that may have caused an overload. You can also clear the app Cache on your device settings.
8. Clear the conversation– If the error in loading snaps occurs only in certain chats, you can try clearing the chat. Clicking on clear conversations in the app settings and selecting the specific chats you have these issues with would suffice. In case this doesn’t settle it, you can unfollow the friends in question and add them back.
9. Uninstall the app– If the above steps do not rectify the issue, you would have to rely on the final resort, uninstalling Snapchat. Once the app is off your device, return to your app store and reinstall it. Using a strong internet connection, log into your account.
Bottom Line
Indeed, it is not exciting to find that certain features you love on Snapchat are temporarily unavailable for whatever reason. Now, we have successfully identified possible causes of phase errors on Snapchat. By identifying the cause, you can follow any of the steps that relate to the error you are faced with. Rebooting your device may also work as a quick fix for temporary issues. However, If you have tried all of the above mentioned steps but your snaps and/or stories are still not loading, you might want to contact Snapchat support as the issue might be from your account.
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