13 Ways To Fix Snapchat Messages/Videos That Won’t Load

 If you use Snapchat on a regular basis, you may come across some issues, such as Snapchat messages not loading properly. Snapchat messages not loading properly is a common issue among all users of the app, Android and iOS alike. However, this issue can be fixed. 

Restart your phone, clear the app cache, clear the conversation, reboot your modem/router, update your operating system, or uninstall/reinstall the app. Go to WiFi Settings>Modify Network>Advanced Settings Change IP Settings to Static>Change DNS1 and DNS2 to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Go to Snapchat Settings>Click Permission>Enable any missing permissions.

Below, we will look closer at each of these options in detail. 

How To Fix Snapchat Messages That Won’t Load?

It can be quite frustrating when you are trying to use Snapchat, and the messages are not loading. However, don’t stress –  it is possible to fix it. Here are some quick tips: 

1. Restart Your Device 

This is the easiest and, therefore, should always be the first thing you do when you have any app issues.  If you’ve already restarted, try doing a hard reset.

For Android: If you are an Android user, you should be able to press the power and volume down buttons at the same time. 

For iPhone: If you have an iPhone, you will: 

  1. Press/release volume up 
  2. Press/release volume down
  3. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

2. Uninstall/Reinstall The App 

This is the next thing we suggest you try, it is very easy and effective. Follow your typical process for uninstalling/reinstalling apps on your device. 

Hopefully, one of these will help you fix the issue of Snapchat messages not loading. 

3. Clear Snapchat Cache 

If you’ve done a restart on your phone, and you’re still having issues, try clearing the Snapchat cache. 

  1. Open Settings on your device. 
  2. Go to the list of your apps and select Snapchat. 
  3. Tap on “Storage” and then tap “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data.” 

This is something you should be doing on a fairly regular basis anyway to prevent issues such as messages not loading. 

4. Clear Conversation 

If you see a gray preview picture of Snapchat and it won’t load, you can clear this conversation by doing the following: 

  1. Open Snapchat. 
  2. Go to “Settings.” 
  3. Tap on “Account Actions.” 
  4. Below “Clear Cache,” you’ll see an option that says “Clear Conversation.” Tap on that and delete the problematic messages. 

5. Delete a Friend

Sometimes no matter what we do, Snapchat just refuses to load a message from some people, or even just one person. It is more likely happening due to a software glitch in the app. You can try to simply delete that one person from your friend’s list and then add them again.

Go to Snapchat>Click your Profile>Go to My Friends>Remove the person from the list of friends.  Then you can add them back.

6. Check Network 

In some cases, Snapchat messages may not load because there is an issue with your network connection. Check your network to see if there are issues with it. 

If you are on WiFi, you can reset your modem/router to see if that fixes the issue. If you’re on a mobile network, try refreshing your connection by turning off mobile data and turning it back on to see if that helps. 

You can also try changing your DNS Settings to help establish a better connection for the messages to load better. Here are the steps to follow:

Go to WiFi Settings>Modify Network>Advanced Settings Change IP Settings to Static>Change DNS1 and DNS2 to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, these are Google DNS.

8. Check App Permissions

Nowadays everybody is extremely concerned about their online privacy. In order to satisfy the users, mobile phone companies provided us with a lot of ways to customize different settings and permissions.

So, if your Snapchat doesn’t have some permissions enabled, it won’t be able to function properly. To check that, go to Snapchat Settings>Click Permission>Enable any missing permissions.

8. Update Your Device’s Software 

The issue may be that the software of your device is out of date. Go to your device settings and check to see that your software is up to date.

If it’s not, go ahead and allow any updates to go through, and then try Snapchat and see if the issue is fixed. 

Snapchat Won’t Let Me Open Videos

There are several reasons why your videos won’t open on the platform. Perhaps no one has sent any recently, but if there are some that are failing to load, it should be addressed right away. 

9. Network Issue

Snapchat could be giving you issues because of network problems.

If you do not have a stable network, you’re not going to be able to open and view videos. Check to see if the network is having problems. If so, try rebooting your modem/router to repair the network connection. 

10. Network Limitations 

You may have moved Snapchat to the app blacklist or limited the amount of time that can be spent on the app. 

You’ll want to go into your device settings and check to see if this has happened. If so, you can simply remove it from the blacklist and remove any limitations to prevent issues like videos not opening. 

11. Not Receiving From One Person 

Perhaps it’s not an app, network, or device issue but an issue with one person on the platform. If you’re not able to view their stories, it’s probably because you’re not on their friend list. 

Also, if you have placed a particular user on your blacklist, they will not be able to send you Snaps.

If you want to be able to receive videos/messages from that person, you’ll need to take them off of your blacklist. 

12. Platform Bug 

In 2020, users were reporting that they were unable to open Snapchat at all. This was due to a bug in the app. 

If this is the case, you’ll need to contact Snapchat support so that they can get to the bottom of the issue and make any necessary repairs. 

13. Mobile Phone Storage Full 

As long as you have enough available storage on your mobile device and a stable WiFi connection, you should be able to use Snapchat with no issues. 

Go into the app settings and clear the cache and data from the app and then try. This should resolve any issues with Snapchat videos not loading. 

Conclusion 

Snapchat is a great platform where you can share a variety of content with your friends and followers. 

However, just like with anything else tech-related, there are sometimes issues that come up. Sometimes, with Snapchat, you may have issues with videos not loading, but if you follow these tips, you should be able to get it fixed fairly easily. 

I’ve been working with technology in one way or the other all my life. After graduating from university, I worked as a sales consultant for Verizon for a few years. Now I am a technical support engineer by day and write articles on my own blog here in my spare time to help others if they have any issues with their devices.