Craigslist is one of the web’s most popular classified ad sites, with millions of users visiting daily.
It is one of the fastest and simplest ways to find someone to carry out tasks, find a roommate, someone to sit your dog with while you’re away, someone to sell your old junk to, or even a job.
With its minimal and old-school interface, Craigslist is quite simple, and anyone with a smartphone or PC and internet can access the site.
To top that all off, the site is entirely free to use in most areas. The only exception is New York, where it charges for apartment listings, and other big cities, where it charges for job listings.
As much as Craigslist has all these great benefits, like any other site, it might sometimes face technical issues that cause it not to work or to work in a way that it is not supposed to.
In this article, we’ll explain various problems with Craigslist that might be causing it not to work, as well as some quick and easy fixes to get you back online in no time.
Some of the most commonly faced issues with Craigslist are:
- Craigslist always crashing
- The app is not opening
- Craigslist does not load or start
- The “You have been blocked from posting on Craigslist” error
- Why Craigslist flags your account
- Craigslist doesn’t load since there is no internet connection
- Craigslist login does not work
- The app consumes too much battery on your smartphone
- Craigslist is causing errors
- It loads very slowly
- Craigslist keeps hanging
- Craigslist is not responding
Although this might not be the complete list of problems that users encounter when using the Craigslist app or web page, these are the most common. Knowing how to fix them might be useful if you encounter issues other than those listed above.
Here are some of the reasons why you might be experiencing these issues and how to troubleshoot and fix them:
1. Outdated device or app software
This is the most common and obvious reason why you might be experiencing issues with your Craigslist app.
For apps to keep running smoothly, it is important to check and ensure that your device’s OS and the Craiglist app are up to date.
Follow the manufacturer’s update instructions depending on the device you are using.
Your device will then restart and should be ready to use after that.
To update Craigslist:
- Launch the App Store or Google Play Store
- Search for Craigslist
- Click on it and select Update.
2. Free up space on your device
Running low on storage space on your device is one of the most common issues that cause apps and other functions to either malfunction or not work.
Because of how many other apps, files, and media we have stored on our devices, it is no surprise your device keeps asking you to free up space.
Clearing these apps’ files and data frees up space and allows apps to run smoothly.
To clear some space on your device, follow these simple steps:
- Open Settings, then click on Apps
- Tap on the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the screen. More options should pop up.
- Click on ‘Sort by size.’
Now you can see which apps are taking up the most space and get rid of the ones you no longer need or could do without.
You can free up more space by clearing out excess media. For example, open your files and gallery, select the items you no longer need or have backed up elsewhere and delete them to free up more space.
3. Reinstall the app
Downloading an app from the wrong location or downloading a troubled app can cause this crashing problem.
To resolve this, uninstall the app, then wait a few minutes before reinstalling it.
Make sure that you are downloading your apps from authorized and trusted sources. Otherwise, you might end up downloading problematic apps or viruses disguised as apps onto your device, which becomes a new issue for you to deal with.
4. Optimize your internet connection
An internet connection that is slow or unstable can be a leading cause for an app crashing or malfunctioning.
With this issue, you will commonly see a notice on your screen saying, sorry, something went wrong or something similar. Optimizing your internet connection is an easy fix for this problem.
You can fix this issue by following this simple three-step method:
- Switch off your Wi-Fi router or mobile data for a few minutes
- Please turn off your smartphone for a few minutes and turn it on again
- Switch back on your Wi-Fi router or mobile data
If this still does not fix your problem, you should probably try connecting to a different network provider, and if that still does not resolve the issue, don’t worry.
There are still a couple of other measures you can take.
5. Clear the app’s data and cache
Clearing your app’s cache is a good way to wipe out any of the app’s unused data that is taking up space that your device could otherwise be using. It is pretty quick and easy to resolve this issue on your phone or tablet.
In the ‘Apps’ section of your settings, you should receive a dropdown list of all your apps on your device. For example, select the Craigslist app, then click on ‘Storage’ and then ‘Clear data’ or ‘Clear cache,’ and then ‘OK.’
Once this is done, open the app from the home page. It should be able to run smoothly now.
6. Factory reset your device
Use this method only as a last resort. This is because once you factory reset your phone, all the data, downloaded apps, and settings are erased, becoming brand new, as the name suggests.
If you must factory reset your device, ensure all your important data is backed up on a hard drive or an online cloud, so you can still access them afterward.
It is simple to factory reset your device by following the straightforward instructions in your device settings.
Once your phone or tablet has finished factory resetting, it will restart, and your device is ready to be set up.
You will have to sign in to your accounts and repeatedly download the apps you had. Download the Craigslist app and sign in with your credentials
If you are having trouble accessing the website due to a technical error on Craigslist’s end, there should be a solution to the issue on the ‘Help’ section of the page.
Alternatively, if you are unsure whether the problem is on your end or the site, you can use a web service that lets you know the site’s status. You can easily find a wide range of such sites on your browser.
If the issue is genuine with the site, you will have to wait it out while they fix it before you can go back to viewing and posting ads. This, however, should not take too long.
It might also help to run diagnostics on the app if you are using it on a computer, telling you precisely what has gone wrong and how to go about it.
