ChatGPT Not Working? Fixes for the App, Browser and iPhone

If ChatGPT is not working, first check whether the problem is on OpenAI's side at status.openai.com, because no fix on your end helps during an outage. If the status page is clear, the cause is almost always your browser, the app version, your network or a sign in problem, and the fixes below work through those in order, quickest first.

Most people searching "ChatGPT not working" fall into one of a few groups: the site will not load in Chrome or Safari, the iPhone or Android app crashes or freezes, a reply stalls halfway, or an error message appears with a code you have never seen. Start at the top and stop when it works.

OpenAI Is Having an Outage

Open the OpenAI status page before touching any settings. It lists live incidents and shows separate components for ChatGPT, ChatGPT Conversations and ChatGPT Login, so you can tell whether chats, sign in or the whole service is affected. OpenAI's own network troubleshooting guide tells users to begin here for exactly this reason.

If there is an open incident for the part you are using, wait it out. Refreshing every few seconds will not speed anything up. If the page says everything is operational but ChatGPT still fails for you, the problem is local, so keep going.

The App Froze or Crashed on Your Phone

For the mobile app, OpenAI's mobile app troubleshooting page lays out a short sequence. In plain terms:

1. Close ChatGPT completely, reopen it and try the same action again.
2. Install any ChatGPT update waiting in the App Store or Google Play.
3. Make sure your phone's operating system is up to date.
4. Switch connections, for example from Wi-Fi to mobile data or the other way round.
5. Sign in to the same account at chatgpt.com in a browser. If it works there, the problem is the app, not your account.

If the crash keeps happening after all of that, OpenAI suggests uninstalling ChatGPT and downloading it again from the official app store, then signing back in. If you are new to the app, our walkthrough on how to use ChatGPT on iPhone covers signing in and the main settings.

You See "Something Went Wrong" With DeviceCheckError

This error asks you to check your device's date and time, and that message is literal. OpenAI explains in its DeviceCheckError help article that it usually means the app could not generate a security token for your specific device.

Work through these:

• Turn on automatic date and time, and confirm the time zone is right.
• Check that your internet connection is stable, then close and reopen ChatGPT.
• Update both the app and your phone's software.
• Try signing in through a browser or on another device.

Two details are easy to miss. OpenAI notes that integrity check results can be cached for up to 24 hours, so it recommends clearing the app's data before trying again. And phones that are rooted or jailbroken can trigger this error, in which case a device with an unmodified operating system is the reliable fix.

Your VPN or Network Is Blocking ChatGPT

If ChatGPT works on mobile data but not on Wi-Fi, the network is the problem. This is common on office and school networks. OpenAI's network guide says security tools such as Cisco Umbrella, Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway and PAN-DB Private Cloud may be blocking ChatGPT, and that the IT team would need to stop blocking it or allowlist OpenAI's domains. On a work Mac, OpenAI also says SSL inspection on the network can cause certificate errors in the desktop app.

At home, a VPN is the usual suspect. For the iPhone error "Unusual activity has been detected from your device. Try again later," OpenAI's steps are to log out and back in, reinstall the app, and disable your VPN. A simple test settles it: turn the VPN off, reload, and see whether ChatGPT responds.

ChatGPT Will Not Load in Chrome or Safari

When the website hangs on a blank page, loops back to the login screen or throws a generic error, stale cookies and cached files are often behind it. Clearing them signs you out of sites, so have your password ready.

Chrome on a computer. Google's Chrome help page gives this path: open Chrome, select More (the three dots at the top right), then Delete browsing data. Choose a time range such as Last hour or All time, select Cookies and other site data, and confirm with Delete data. You can also type "Delete browsing data" into the address bar to jump straight there.

Safari on iPhone. According to Apple Support, go to Settings, tap Apps, select Safari, then tap Clear History and Website Data and pick a timeframe. If you want to keep your history, go to Settings, Apps, Safari, Advanced, Website Data, then tap Remove All Website Data.

Before clearing everything, a quicker check is to open chatgpt.com in a private or incognito window. If it loads there, a browser extension or a bad cookie is the likely cause, and you can turn extensions off one at a time to find the culprit. Ad blockers and script blockers are worth checking first.

Responses Are Slow or Stop Halfway

A reply that freezes mid sentence is often a connection hiccup rather than a broken account. OpenAI lists slow responses as a separate help topic and points to browser settings, network conditions and service status as the things to check. In practice, that means checking the status page for degraded performance, refreshing the page, and switching networks if your Wi-Fi is weak.

Starting a fresh conversation is another quick test, since it rules out a problem with one particular chat. If you hit message caps often, our comparison of ChatGPT Plus vs free explains what changes with a paid plan, though paying will not fix a network or browser fault.

You Cannot Sign In

If the login screen rejects you or loops, try the same account on the web at chatgpt.com. OpenAI's mobile guide says that if web sign in works, removing and reinstalling the app is the next step. It also helps to use the same sign in method you picked when you created the account (email, Google, Apple or Microsoft), so you land in the right account.

On iPhone, a "Cookies are disabled" error while signing in with Google has its own OpenAI help article. Check that you have not turned on Block All Cookies in Safari, which Apple places under Settings, Apps, Safari, Advanced.

When to Contact OpenAI Support

If the status page is clear and none of the fixes above work on any device or network, it is time to contact OpenAI. Its mobile troubleshooting page asks you to include:

• The email address on your account
• Your device model and operating system version
• The ChatGPT app version
• The full error message and any request ID shown
• Whether the problem happens on Wi-Fi, mobile data or both

On an iPhone you can find the model under Settings, General, About. A screenshot of the error saves a lot of back and forth.

One last check before you write in: try a different device on a different network. If ChatGPT works there, you have narrowed the fault to one phone, browser or connection, and the steps above will usually get it running again. For more guides like this, browse our AI section, or read what ChatGPT is and how it works if you are still getting started.