The Guardian is a great source of daily column and breaking news and is one of the most viewed sources in the UK, with many considering it the best news app.
But you open your phone one morning, tap the app, and nothing happens. Instead of seeing the morning headlines you are greeted with the dreaded eternal loading wheel, or maybe even yesterday’s news.
What should you do when the news that was previously at your fingertips slips out of your grasp?
Is it a problem on your end, or with the Guardian itself? Well, we are here to get you reconnected with your morning update!
Guardian app not working – try this first
There are a few things you can try which take only a few seconds and have a good chance of getting you back online right away.
First, check you haven’t accidentally enabled flight mode on your device as you picked it up. This can happen sometimes and will prevent any internet-based app from working properly. Look for the plane icon lit up at the top of your device.
If this isn’t the issue, maybe you need to have a crack at the tried-and-true method of “turning it off and on again.” Simply hold your power button and turn the phone off, then back on again. This does a bunch of technical wizardry that can sometimes alleviate temporary device issues.
If this doesn’t work either, it could be a problem with your Wi-Fi connection, the Guardian servers, or the app could be corrupted. Continue reading to find a solution to all of these problems.
Test your connection
You may have the fastest internet on your street, but if your phone can’t pick up the signal, you won’t get a connection at all. Make sure you are close to your router and in line-of-sight and try to connect again.
If you are still getting a blank screen or loading issue, try some other apps and sites such as Google. If you can make a Google search, but not connect to your app, then your problem may be with your files and not your Wi-Fi.
Reset your router
If you can’t connect to the internet at all after all these steps, there’s probably an issue with your router. To solve this, unplug the power cable and phoneline and wait 30 seconds. You can use this time to debate whether it’s time to switch internet provider.
After 30 seconds, your router will have reset its DNS and IP, which will likely fix your internet connection. If this still doesn’t connect you to the internet, it’s time to call your ISP and switch to mobile data for the time being.
Check the Guardian servers
If you are able to connect to the internet with mobile data but your app still isn’t working, then it might not even be your problem. If there are issues with the servers or there is scheduled maintenance, the app won’t work properly.
You can check the server status here, and go down and check the “app” reported problems. If there is a large spike, then waiting a few minutes to an hour will be your best option, as there’s nothing else you can really do.
Make sure you’re not in offline mode
The Guardian app has an “offline read” mode that allows you to use it as normal, by saving all the pages before going offline.
When you’re in offline mode, it’s not an internet connection problem at fault – it’s your own settings, which can be easily changed.
To check, follow the next step to clear the cache, open your app again and you should see this message if you don’t have a connection.
Clearing your cache and data
Occasionally, apps can get clogged up by old data and slow down or even stop working. If this is the case, you can clear your data pretty easily as the app does not need login details.
Simply follow the previous steps to force stop your app, but instead, tap on the “data” tab and at the bottom you will find “clear data” and “clear cache.”
If clearing cache doesn’t work, try clearing data – but note all your preferences will be lost. Clearing your mobile app’s cache is one of the best ways to resolve an error message, which can often be caused by a slow build up of data over time.
Force stop that app
Sometimes the Guardian App crashes for no particular reason or gives you black/white screens. This is a fairly common issue that can be fixed by Force-stopping the app. To do this, simply go into your Settings > App manager > Guardian App > Force Stop.
This can fix the situation if it’s a temporary loading issue on your device, which is fairly common with the Guardian Daily app.
Reinstall the app
If nothing has worked so far, it might be time to delete the app and download a fresh version. Next to “force stop” above, you can find the uninstall option – press it and wait a few seconds for the app to install.
After you’ve done this, go ahead and re-download the app again. This gives you a new version which automatically comes with all the updates and correct files, so it’s likely to work as a last resort.
Conclusion
An app not working can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you may not know the exact cause of the issue. This can occur with the Guardian iPhone app, but it can also occur on Android devices too.
But following this guide step by still will be a sure-fire way of getting your app back in tip-top shape and give you back access to the latest news and stories around the globe.
