- Occasionally, you might find that links don’t open properly from tweets in the Twitter app or website.
- To fix this problem, try switching to a different browser, update your Twitter app, or clear the Twitter app’s cache.
- Here are seven ways to fix Twitter links when they won’t open in the app and website.
Any time you include a link in a tweet, Twitter automatically shortens it with its own URL shortening service. You can see this when you click or tap the link — what opens in your web browser begins with t.co. Usually, this expands very quickly into the original URL and the requested webpage opens.
Not always, though, and not for all users. If you sometimes can’t open Twitter links, you are a victim of a glitch that afflicts certain Twitter users. There are workarounds, though. Here are seven ways to get Twitter links to open in the app and website.
Reload the page
If a Twitter link isn’t opening, sometimes it’s just an intermittent error that’s easily fixed by reloading the page. You can do this whether you’re using the mobile app or the Twitter website on your desktop. Try this before doing anything more complicated: Just tap the Reload button at the top right of the Twitter app or the Reload button beside the address bar in your web browser.
Switch from the app to a browser
The Twitter app initially opens webpages in its own mini browser, but you can tap the Browser button at the bottom of the screen to send the page to your phone’s default browser — usually Safari on iPhone or Chrome on Android. Your default browser may have better luck opening the link than the Twitter app, so tap the Browser icon and let the page load.
Force quit and restart your browser
If you’re using Twitter on your phone, it’s possible that there’s a temporary glitch in your browser. Forcing it to close and then restarting the app may get things working again. Restarting the app clears out corrupted data that may be keeping the browser from working properly. If you need a refresher, here is how to close an app on your iPhone or on Android.
Use a different browser
If you’ve gotten this far without fixing your Twitter links, you might want to try a different browser. On the desktop, that’s simple enough; just open the Twitter website in a different browser, such as Firefox if you were already using Chrome or Safari. On your phone or tablet, you’ll want to change your default browser so Twitter tries to open the link somewhere other than the default browser.
On an iPhone or iPad, start the Settings app, then scroll down and tap any third-party browser you have installed, like Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Tap Default Browser App and choose the browser you want to use.
If you have an Android device, start the Settings app and then tap Apps. In the General section, tap Default apps. Tap Browser app and choose the installed browser you want to use.
Check for an updated Twitter app
Occasionally, a bug or incompatibility in your Twitter app might be preventing certain features from working — even something as basic as opening links. Generally, your phone should keep your apps up to date, but it’s possible there’s an update waiting to be installed. The good news is that you can update the Twitter app manually. Here is how to update an app on your iPhone or on your Android phone.
Clear your cache
If your Twitter links still aren’t opening, it’s possible that there is a problem with the Twitter app’s cache, which stores temporary data to help the app run more quickly and efficiently. If the cache is corrupted, clearing it may solve your problem.
The only way to clear an app’s cache on the iPhone is to delete the app and then reinstall it from the App Store. On Android, you can clear the Twitter app’s cache from the Settings app. Start the Settings app and tap Apps. If necessary, tap See all apps and then tap Twitter App. Tap Storage & cache. Finally, tap Clear cache, and then tap Clear storage.
Restart your phone or computer
Finally, if you’re still having trouble, it might be time to restart your device; turning your entire device off can eradicate temporary software glitches. You can turn off most Android phones by holding the power button for several seconds, or you can swipe down from the top of the screen to see the shortcuts panel and tap the power icon. If you have an iPhone, here’s how to restart it regardless of which iPhone model you own. And if you need a refresher, here is how to restart a Windows PC and restart a Mac computer.
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