Some Users Have Noticed That TikTok Keeps Freezing, but Can You Fix the Issue?

Before TikTok, most social media platforms relied primarily on text or imagery to garner your attention. Since the app's emergence, though, video has become a dominant means of communication across the internet. If you remember the old days of the internet, though, you know that video can be a much more demanding file format than text or pictures.

That's why it probably shouldn't be super surprising that TikTok freezes up on users sometimes. For some, though, the problem is persistent enough to feel like a real issue. Here's what we know about the issue and why it might be happening.

The issue of a frozen TikTok does not appear to be caused by something happening with the platform itself. Instead, it seems to have more to do with individual users, and more specifically with their version of the app.

Fortunately, it seems like the issue can be resolved for most people by clearing the cache inside of the TikTok app. Doing this allows TikTok to forget some of the videos you've watched, and frees up more space for the videos you're looking at now.

To clear the cache on TikTok, go to Settings and Privacy and then click on Free Up Space. If that doesn't make the app run more smoothly, you should make sure that you have the latest version of it on your device and also try restarting both your app and the phone itself.

If none of those steps work, you might want to reach out to TikTok's support team to see if they can help with the issue.

In spite of its immense popularity, TikTok has had its fair share of bugs and issues that have affected users, including periods where the entire platform is down because of some sort of technical issue. Unfortunately, this freezing problem is more about maintaining the app's hygiene than it is about an issue that TikTok has on its end.

A freezing app is not the only problem that regular TikTok users have. The U.S. ban on the app is set to go into effect in January 2025 if Bytedance, the company that owns TikTok, does not agree to sell the platform to an American company.

Thus far, no effort to purchase the company has been successful, and it's unclear whether a sale will be made before that deadline. Once the date comes, it seems like the U.S. government will have no choice but to enforce its orders and take the platform off of app stores.

Its disappearance would be a shock for many, even those who remember that the ban was once a discussion. The app will continue to exist uninterrupted until early 2025, but unless there is some sort of intervention, it seems like TikTok's days in the U.S. might be numbered, whether it freezes up or works exactly as it should.