Here's What To Do If Twitter Is Down

With the election, the Summer Olympics, and the season finale of The Bachelorette around the corner, there are too many "tweetable moments" to miss. It can be an absolute nightmare if you have sculpted the perfect 140 characters and suddenly — WHY ISN'T TWITTER WORKING?? A tweet encapsulates a brief moment in time, and if you can't post on the microblogging platform when the thought is relevant, that can be especially frustrating! With 313 million monthly active users, even Twitter can have trouble managing its traffic, and when it does slow or crash that's an awful lot of upset users (we all remember the Great Twitter Crash of January 2016). No one wants to be deprived of their voice, news highlights, or witty one-liners. Being cutoff from the Twitter-sphere can create some serious separation anxiety, but don't stress, fellow-tweeters — there are ways to troubleshoot when the app starts acting persnickety.

If you find yourself in a momentarily Twitter-less existence, realize that there may be multiple reasons why you are having trouble accessing the app. In order to fix things and get that genius tweet and perfect GIF out into the world, we have to understand the issue at hand. There are a few simple tricks and tips to help you perfect your Twitter skillz. Here are some reasons Twitter might be dark, and what you can do about it:

Problem: Twitter Won't Let You Log InSolution: Reset You Password

If you are having difficulty logging in, the first thing to try is resetting your password. If you can't remember your original password, Twitter is linked to your email address or cell phone number. Enter one of these in the form on the website to verify that it is indeed your account and proceed with their instructions and links delivered either via email or text.

If you still are having trouble logging in after you change the password, Twitter suggests trying to log in from a different browser or computer and to double check that your browser accepts cookies. If your login attempts continue to be unsuccessful, you may find yourself with a "locked out" message. If you get one of these you will have to wait a full hour for it to clear. Why must you do me like that Twitter?!

Problem: Your Account Is SuspendedSolution: Verify Account

Twitter is like The Force — it must be used for good. If the social networking service believes an account to be compromised or in violation of their Terms of Service, they may take measures to lock said account. To unlock an account, first you must confirm your identity. Log in, follow the instructions, and enter your phone number to receive a verification code via text. Once entered you will confirm that you are the true owner of the account. If you believe your account has been locked accidentally, contact Twitter's support team. If there are problematic tweets or spammy messages under your account that you did not write, your account may have been hacked. Follow these steps to secure your account from a third party user and prevent future privacy issues.

Problem: The Twitter App for iOS Isn't LoadingSolution: A Little IT Magic

If Twitter isn't loading on your iPhone or iPad, first try the classic "turning it off and on again" approach. If you are still experiencing issues, sign out of the app and then add your account back in. To do this remove your Twitter user account from your device's Settings by selecting "delete account." When you open the Twitter app next, add the account back in by entering your username, email/phone, and password. If that STILL doesn't seem to help, completely delete the app from the device, and then reinstall it. Be sure that your device is running the latest OS before you do!

Problem: An Internal ErrorSolution: A Glass Of Wine (And Waiting It Out)

Twitter still being staunchly uncooperative? There may be a more extensive technical issue at play. Wide spread outages due to over-capacity and/or an internal error can leave us Twitter-less for hours. You can track these outages on the website Down Detector, and see updates from Twitter on their system status page.

May the Tweet be with you!

Images: Gu Studio/E+/Getty Images; TwitterSupport/Twitter, Giphy (1, 2, 3)