ChatGPT app not working on iPhone

Your ChatGPT iOS app won't load, crashes on launch, or shows nothing but a spinning wheel. Before you reinstall or contact support, spend 60 seconds checking whether OpenAI's servers are down — because if they are, nothi

ChatGPT app not working on iPhone

How to check if OpenAI is actually down

Start with our live OpenAI status page, which updates every 60 seconds directly from OpenAI's official status feed. If you see "Operational" next to ChatGPT, the app itself is running fine on OpenAI's end. If it shows "Degraded Performance" or "Major Outage", you've found your answer — the problem isn't your phone.

Cross-check with status.openai.com for the official breakdown. OpenAI tracks separate components: ChatGPT (which includes the iOS app), API, and other services. The iOS app shares infrastructure with the web version, so an outage affecting chatgpt.com usually hits the mobile app too.

Third-party monitoring sites like Downdetector show user-reported issues in real time. If hundreds of people are reporting "ChatGPT app not working" within the last 15 minutes, it's almost certainly a server-side problem. During major outages, you'll see spike graphs and comments from iPhone users experiencing identical symptoms.

Is it OpenAI or is it you

If the live OpenAI status shows everything operational, the problem is local. Work through these steps in order:

Force-quit and relaunch the app. Double-tap your home button (or swipe up from the bottom on newer iPhones), swipe up on the ChatGPT app preview to close it completely, then tap the ChatGPT icon to reopen. This clears temporary app state.

Check your internet connection. Open Safari and load any website. If that fails, the issue is your WiFi or cellular data — not ChatGPT. Toggle Airplane Mode on for 5 seconds, then off. This resets your network stack.

Update the app. Open the App Store, tap your profile icon (top right), scroll to "Available Updates", and update ChatGPT if an update is listed. OpenAI pushes fixes for iOS-specific crashes regularly.

Restart your iPhone completely. Hold the side button and either volume button, slide to power off, wait 30 seconds, then power back on. This clears system-level cache that can interfere with network requests.

Check your iOS version. Go to Settings → General → About. If you're running iOS 15 or older, you may be on an unsupported version. The ChatGPT app targets iOS 16.0 and later for best performance.

Delete and reinstall the app. Press and hold the ChatGPT icon, tap "Remove App", then "Delete App". Reinstall from the App Store. You won't lose your chat history — it's stored on OpenAI's servers and tied to your account.

If you're seeing a specific error message like "Network error" or "Unable to load history", follow the general troubleshooting steps in ChatGPT not working — troubleshooting, which covers authentication issues, corrupted data, and DNS problems that affect mobile apps.

What to do during an outage

When OpenAI confirms an outage, you're in waiting mode. Check the live OpenAI status every 10-15 minutes for updates — it pulls directly from OpenAI's incident feed, so you'll see status changes immediately.

Don't delete and reinstall the app repeatedly. This won't help and risks triggering rate limits if you're trying to log in over and over. Don't cancel your ChatGPT Plus subscription out of frustration — you won't get a partial refund for downtime, and you'll lose access when service resumes.

If you need ChatGPT urgently, try the web version at chatgpt.com in Safari. Sometimes the mobile app goes down while the web interface stays up because they use different service endpoints.

Don't contact OpenAI support about outages. They're already aware and working on it. Support can't provide ETAs or compensation for downtime. Save your support request for persistent account-specific issues.

Questions people actually ask

Q: Is ChatGPT down right now?

A: Check the live OpenAI status monitor on this site — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed. If ChatGPT shows "Operational", the service is up. If it shows an outage, that's why your app isn't working.

Q: Why does the ChatGPT app crash immediately when I open it?

A: This is usually caused by a corrupted app cache. Delete the app completely from your iPhone, restart your phone, then reinstall from the App Store. If it still crashes, check if your iOS version is 16.0 or later.

Q: Will I lose my chat history if I delete the app?

A: No. Your conversations are stored on OpenAI's servers and tied to your account. When you reinstall and log back in, all your history reappears.

What to remember

Check the live status monitor first — if OpenAI is down, nothing on your phone will fix it
Force-quit the app completely before assuming it's broken
Update both the ChatGPT app and iOS itself for best stability
Try the web version at chatgpt.com in Safari if the app fails
Reinstalling the app won't delete your chat history

Related help

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*openai-support.com is an independent resource, not affiliated with OpenAI Inc.*