'Call of Duty Mobile' not loading? How to fix pesky connection issues

Call of Duty joined the ranks of console games that have moved to mobile this week, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing since launch day.

Social media has been awash with complaints about the app being stuck. Activision took note of the issues and got to work fixing them almost immediately.

The famed first-person shooter is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. While the game immediately attracted a lot of attention, that popularity has led to some some connectivity issues for both Android and iOS users.

Since its October 1 launch, the mobile game has been downloaded more than 35 million times and was ranked the most popular app on the iOS App Store in more than 100 countries. Call of Duty Mobile packs many of the series’ most beloved maps (like Nuketown and Hijacked), iconic game modes, and signature weapons and times. But thanks to overwhelmed servers, a plethora of players have yet to be able to start playing.

A majority of the server issues that bedeviled the game at launch have since been resolved. But crowded servers can still cause sluggish performance or infinite load screens. Here are a few ways to get Call of Duty Mobile up and running if you’re experiencing issues.

Call of Duty Mobile troubleshooting: Make sure you’re connected to reliable wifi

Players will want to be sure they’re connected to a strong wifi signal once they jump into the game. Call of Duty Mobile will take up 1 gigabyte of storage space on your smartphone, and can easily eat through your data budget since all of its game modes are online.

Playing on wifi will ensure a more stable connection, with a reduced chance of getting kicked out mid-game or encountering never-ending loading screens. What’s more, certain cellular carriers throttle wireless data speeds after users have surpassed a certain threshold, which can result in a very laggy Call of Duty Mobile experience, or just not being able to connect to the servers at all.

Call of Duty Mobile Troubleshooting: Make sure you have the latest software update

Double check to make sure you have the latest version of iOS or Android to avoid any unforeseen glitches or crashes.

App developers optimize their software for the latest versions of each operating system. If a user has an outdated version of iOS, certain apps might act wonky — or simply not open — because of the older software the device is running.

Still having problems? Try navigating to your phone’s settings menu to check if you have any available updates to install.

Call of Duty Mobile Troubleshooting: Restart your device

If your wifi connection isn’t the issue, try restarting your smartphone. If you’re anything like me, rebooting your phone is something you do only out of necessity. But it can really improve performance with demanding apps like Call of Duty Mobile, especially if you haven’t done it in a while.

Restarting your device will clear its random access memory. That means when you boot it back up, it’ll have ample bandwidth to deal with Call of Duty Mobile.

Call of Duty Mobile Troubleshooting: Reinstall the app

The Google Play Store support page suggests installing and reinstalling Call of Duty Mobile or any other malfunctioning apps.

This will clear the apps cache and data on the device, which could resolve anything strange going on under the hood so you can finally face your friends on the popular FPS.

Call of Duty Mobile is out now for iOS and Android devices.