Whether you’re trying to get a ride or make a living doing rideshare driving for Uber, tech issues don’t help anyone.

When the Uber app isn’t cooperating, it’s hard to know what the specific cause of the trouble is or what you can do about it.

Here are some of the possible causes of the issue and what you can do to get on the road when you get the dreaded Uber down screen.

Common Uber Errors You’ll Get With Uber Down

Because of all the ways that users and drivers can use Uber, not everyone has the same issues.

Here are some of the common places and ways folks can have issues with the Uber platform.

1. Errors with the App

Most of the issues with the mobile app boil down to connection issues.

Some users will find that they can’t connect to the Uber services they’re trying to summon from their smartphone or tablet.

Others will find that their password or email won’t take when they try to log in.

Instead of their account, these users receive an error message.

Users can also find themselves with slow connections.

Or, these folks never connect to the service despite their login info working without a problem.

Regardless of the reason, many of the common issues with the app stem from connection troubles.

2. Errors with Uber Payments

While connections are one source of headaches, payment processing is another trouble entirely.

For some, these errors are worse because money is involved.

Wasting time and money together is a recipe for an unsatisfied user.

One of these common issues is a promo code not being accepted.

In this case, a user plugs in a code that should offer a discount or free ride, but instead, they receive nothing.

Ideally, they’ll receive an Uber code text that has the 2FA code needed to log in.

Whether the app isn’t accepting it or the app isn’t connecting properly, the result is still that the app won’t take the code.

Some users will see wrongful payments taken out of their accounts sometimes.

These are payments that are either too much or don’t make sense.

When these payments don’t match with the experience that the user had with the ridesharing service, it’s especially infuriating.

3. Errors with the Uber Website

While Uber tries to bring positive experiences in driving to your fingertips, that doesn’t always happen with the website.

Users sometimes have issues connecting to the website.

The page may not load, or their logins may not be accepted.

There are also times where the website appears to be down.

The webpage will display a connection error code rather than the Uber homepage.

How to Confirm That Uber Is Down

Uber’s website has pretty good uptime, so the errors you’re getting shouldn’t be from the website being down.

One of the easiest ways to see if Uber is down is to check a website that tracks if other websites are accessible.

Social media is another easy tool to use to check out Uber’s uptime.

Uber comments on their profiles if they are experiencing slow connection times or outages for their services.

Following Uber on platforms like Facebook and Twitter make it easy to check in the next time Uber has troubles.

You can also check to see if other Uber services are still running.

UberXL, Uber Eats, Uber Black, and other services might not be affected even if your transportation options from the main Uber app aren’t cooperating.

Troubleshooting Uber Errors

There are plenty of ways that mobile applications or websites can cause headaches.

Because of that, there’s a chance that the issue you’re having isn’t tied to Uber’s services but something with your device.

If another website shows that Uber is good, then you might need to troubleshoot some issues on your end.

1. Restart Uber

Sometimes, the issue you’re having is just that you had a bad connection to Uber.

If you keep a lot of apps running on your phone, loading up Uber could cause an error on your phone.

The easiest way to fix this issue is to stop Uber and restart it.

Go into your applications and force stop the Uber app.

Once that is done, try opening the app again to see if the app will connect.

2. Check Your Browser

As Uber continues to improve its services and website, eventually old web browsers won’t be able to display the page.

Some browsers also just aren’t compatible with Uber’s website.

Check your browser and make sure that the version is recent enough to display Uber’s homepage.

Most of the popular browsers right now have the ability to show almost any webpage format, so you might have to update your browser if you can’t see it.

Closing out the browser and trying again can fix the problem, too.

Clearing out your browser cache and cookies might help, too.

These temporary files could be causing a connection error, making it hard to reach Uber’s services.

3. Check Your Connection

Internet connections can be fiddly at times.

If you’re in a place that doesn’t get a good signal or your connection drops out while connecting to Uber’s services, you might not get through.

If your app and browser work fine, then check your internet connection.

Make sure that you’re connected to your WiFi or mobile data and that you have good signal strength.

If you don’t have a good signal, then you might need to move closer to the signal source or change to a different connection.

What to Do if Uber Is Down

There will be times where Uber technologies are down.

While there might not be much that you can do, there are a few things you can try to get through the issue.

1. Wait It Out

Sometimes the best option is to just wait out the issues.

If Uber is down for the count, then there’s not much you can do on your end to change that.

Rather than getting worked up over the system being down, it might just be time to wait.

Server issues for Uber tend not to last very long.

If the issue is on Uber’s end, waiting a few minutes might be the difference between frustration and normal operations for riders.

2. Change Locations

Another simple solution to your issue could be to change locations.

Downtown areas like San Diego, San Francisco, or Chicago, with their tall buildings and crowded cell towers, can cause trouble connecting to Uber’s services.

Getting away from a congested area could be all you need to get a clear connection to Uber.

3. Contact Uber

While there’s an elegance to a simple solution, major challenges require some outside help.

Uber has a support line that you can contact to get help with connection and account issues.

Their support is also great if you have questions about community guidelines, premium features, or drivers’ earnings.

Make sure you give props to the service rep if they solve your issue!

4. Use an Uber Alternative

While the driver shortage is causing all sorts of issues for ridesharing services, Uber has been affected the most as the largest one.

If Uber is down, then calling for Lyft drivers or using Postmates for food might be the better option.

The benefit of all of these services being just a download anyway is that you can change between them as needed.

If one service goes down, you can see if the others are working.

Frequently Asked Questions

Connection and account issues are tough to resolve, thanks to how many different issues there can be.

Here are some of the common questions out there about how to resolve errors when Uber is down:

Wrapping Up

While it’s not fun to deal with Internet and server errors, Uber can have troubles from time to time.

Those errors aren’t common on Uber’s end, so checking out your device and connection should be the first thing you do when troubleshooting.

If you still can’t find the issue, then contacting Uber support is the best route to take.

Uber tries to keep its servers and app running at full steam so that drivers and riders can keep up days moving forward.