Is your Amazon App refusing to open? Here’s our guide to getting everything working again
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Daniel Frankland
Amazon's market dominance is simply undeniable – it's the largest online retailer in the world, and we'd probably be lost without our free postage and next-day delivery. Whether you're using their app or their website, you'll generally find your shopping experience smooth and hassle-free. That being said, even the crème-de-la-crème of apps have the odd issue now and then, and Amazon is sadly no exception.
If you're reading this article, chances are your Amazon app just isn't opening as it should. Your debit card's at the ready, your fingers primed for the latest pre-order, and Jeff Bezos has gone and let you down. Worry not, dear shopper – we've got the answers you need down below.
Amazon App Won't Open – Finding the Right Answer
If you've given the app a few increasingly aggressive presses to little avail, your first stop should be Amazon's service health tracker. An outage is admittedly rare from Amazon, being the goliath it is, but it's worth looking at to rule stability issues out. The status page should tell you all you need to know about how Amazon's servers are coping – recent events will appear at the top of the list, and a red cross by your location is an indication that they see some downtime on their end. Unfortunately, if this is the case, you've little choice but to wait for them to repair the issue. Amazon's service team is staggeringly large, so expect a fix sooner rather than later.
If Amazon isn't reporting any disruptions to their service, the odds are the issue stems from something else. We've run through the most common problems preventing your app from loading below, so read on for a solution to your shopping snafu.
Update your App
While it may seem a bit obvious, may we dare to suggest that your app could be due an update? Apps will generally work for a good bit on older updates, and we're well aware that some people may feel less inclined to bother as a result. However, Amazon will start refusing to load if you go too long without their latest patch, so head over to the Play Store on Android or the App Store on iOS, and pop 'Amazon' in the search bar. If your app is a little outdated, you should see an option to update, as the image below illustrates.
No update option? Updated, but Amazon still isn't playing? No need to worry; we've plenty to get through before you lose hope. All too often, the answer you're after plays hard to get, so read on for our next suggestion – we'll get there in the end!
Connection problems
Connection issues are going to put a stop to any online shopping you're planning to do, be it Amazon, Argos, or American Apparel. This one's relatively easy to troubleshoot – if you're presented with a screen similar to the following pictures when you open your app, chances are your connection to the web isn't looking too hot. If you're connected to Wi-Fi, try and open some other apps or webpages and see if they'll load for you. If you're having trouble, then you'd best restart your router or get in touch with your service provider for some assistance.
If you're using 4G/5G, the same applies. If other apps are posing similar issues, then your mobile provider may be to blame. You should have a quick check that you haven't toggled Flight Mode on accidentally, as this cuts your connection to any and all internet. Similarly, sometimes a simple phone restart will get your internet up and running, though for what reason is anybody's guess. Failing this, contact your mobile provider for advice, and check their website for any status updates that may have been posted. If your internet is all good, read on for our next suggestion.
Clear your Cache
The longer an app is installed on our phones, the more data is 'cached' to speed up load times and generally improve your experience. This is usually a good thing, but sometimes you'll find your cached data can cause performance issues over time, so it's worth clearing now and again to keep everything running smoothly. On Android, this is as simple as pressing 'Settings,' followed by 'Apps,' then following the steps shown in the pictures below.
Thankfully, it's just as simple to do on iOS if you're more of an iPhone fanatic. Open the 'Settings' app and scroll down until you find Amazon. Give it a press, and scroll down again until you find the 'Clear Cache' button. Pressing this will spring-clean your application and hopefully get things running again. If not, we've got one last trick up our sleeves for you to try.
Uninstall and Reinstall
It sounds too easy, doesn't it? Once again, for reasons I can't explain, the only solution to some problems is to straight-up uninstall the app and reinstall it again. I'd imagine there's a complicated jargon-y reason behind this, but it just works, so who are we to question? If you're on Android, open up the Play Store and search for 'Amazon.' You should see the 'Uninstall' option, as pictured below. Let your phone do its magic before hitting 'Install' again, and in thirty seconds or so, your app should be good to launch again. Alternatively, you can long-press the app and hit 'Uninstall' right from your home screen, though you'll still need to navigate to the Play Store to reinstall it.
Again, the process isn't terribly different on iOS. Long-press the app and hit 'Delete App' to uninstall it, then up the App Store and search for 'Amazon.' You should see an 'Install' option now, which you're naturally going to press next. It should be ready to go within a minute, so head back to your home screen and open it up!
Conclusion
To conclude, Amazon is usually pretty rock-solid on ensuring the customer experience is stress-free. If you're experiencing issues while trying to open it up, or trying to open any app for that matter, then the steps we've outlined above are likely to be the cause. We sincerely hope we've helped get your shopping spree back on track – feel free to check our catalog for any future troubles you need tackling!
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