Tello App Not Working? [How to Fix It!]

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Is your Tello app not working? Does it crash while you’re using it? Let’s jump right into the most common reasons why, as well as how to fix it.

What is Tello?

Tello is a wireless mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that provides prepaid mobile phone services in the United States. It operates on the nationwide Sprint network, which has now merged with T-Mobile. Tello offers affordable, customizable plans and allows customers to build their own plans based on their specific needs.

Here are some key features and details about Tello:

1. Prepaid Plans: Tello offers prepaid plans, which means customers pay for their service in advance. This eliminates the need for contracts or credit checks, providing flexibility and control over the duration and cost of the service.
2. Customizable Plans: Tello stands out by allowing customers to create their own plans. Customers can choose the amount of data, minutes, and texts they need and build a plan accordingly. This customization feature allows customers to tailor their plans to their usage patterns, potentially saving them money.
3. No Hidden Fees: Tello promotes transparency by offering plans with no hidden fees or additional charges. The prices advertised by Tello include all taxes and fees, so customers know exactly what they will pay.
4. Nationwide Coverage: Tello operates on the nationwide Sprint network, which has merged with T-Mobile. This provides customers with extensive coverage across the United States, including both urban and rural areas.
5. Bring Your Own Phone: Tello allows customers to bring their own compatible phones to the network. This means that if you have a compatible device, you can simply obtain a Tello SIM card and activate your service without needing to purchase a new phone.
6. Pay-as-You-Go Option: In addition to the customizable plans, Tello offers a pay-as-you-go option for customers who have minimal usage needs. With this option, customers can pay for minutes, texts, and data on an as-needed basis.
7. Additional Features: Tello provides additional features such as international calling to various countries, mobile hotspot capability, and the ability to upgrade or change plans at any time without any fees or penalties.

Check out our full review of Tello here.

Most common reasons why your Tello app is not working

Connection issues

• Wi-fi or mobile data isn’t working properly
• You’re on low data mode for an app that requires higher data usage
• You’re using a VPN service

Compatibility issues

• The app does not work with your phone model
• The app hasn’t been updated in awhile
• The phone hasn’t been updated in awhile

Technical issues

• App cache is full

Issues outside your control

• Bug or glitch in the app
• Server down for maintenance

Ways to fix your Tello app not working

1. Restart your phone
2. Alternate between wi-fi and phone data for your connection
3. Update your phone to the latest version
4. Update the Tello app itself
5. Delete and reinstall the app
6. Clear your cache
7. Turn off low data mode
8. Check your wi-fi or phone data
9. Check whether the Tello app is down
10. Check if your phone is compatible with the app
11. Disable your VPN service

Don’t worry, we’re going to go into detail for each one of these fixes. Some fixes require more work than others, but they’re all fairly simple to do.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #1

Restart your phone

When you restart your phone, you’re doing a couple of things to help. One, you’re allowing your phone to reset its operating system. Two, you’re forcing your Tello app to close and doing a hard reset on it. By turning your phone on and off, as cliché as it may seem, you’re doing the most efficient thing possible to try and get your app working, effectively hitting two birds with one stone.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #2

Alternate between wi-fi and phone data for your connection

If you’ve just restarted your phone and the app still doesn’t work, perhaps wait a bit longer to allow your phone to connect online. Sometimes, when you’re on wi-fi and it isn’t connecting, you may have to toggle to phone data and back to get it working, as there could be a hang-up preventing your wi-fi from connecting. The same goes for phone data, if that’s what you prefer or normally use.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #3

Update your phone to the latest version

To keep your phone secure, your phone should always be updated to the latest patch. Each patch includes fixes and improvements, whether they be related to newly found security issues or simply to improve user experience and speed. Additionally, phone apps are often updated as well and rely on the phone to be of a certain operating system version in order to work at its full potential.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #4

Update the app itself

Similarly, the Tello app is often updated for security flaws and/or user experience. Even if you’ve grown to like the current version of the app and don’t want the user interface to change in any way, you still should be updating the app. This allows you to prevent hacks and breaches as much as possible on your end. If you don’t like the changes to the app, you can always take it up to the app company, and if enough users agree with you, they might make the changes.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #5

Delete and reinstall the app

Deleting and reinstalling the Tello app also does a couple of things at once. One, it allows you to force a reset on your app and its data. Two, you’re making yourself update to the latest version of the app if you weren’t on the latest version already. This one often works the best when your Tello app isn’t working.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #6

Clear your cache

Your cache is there to help the phone access the app and its data more quickly and efficiently. However, it comes at a cost. In order to do so, it has to store data. And the more you use your app, the more data it stores. If space is being pushed to its limit on your phone, this could be the cause of your Tello app either working sluggishly, crashing, or not working at all. Fortunately, the fix is quite easy. Simply follow the steps below:

For iPhone users

1. Go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘General’ -> ‘iPhone Storage’
2. Find the Tello app and click on it
3. Choose ‘Offload App’
4. After it is completed, click on ‘Reinstall App’
5. Data cache is now cleared

For Android users

1. Go to ‘Settings’
2. Find the Tello app and tap on it
3. Tap ‘Clear Cache’
4. Data cache is now cleared

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #7

Check your wi-fi or phone data

First off, if you have limited phone data every month, make sure that you haven’t run out of data for the month. If you’re speed is downgraded after a certain amount of data, this could cause some issues as well. Secondly, be sure your modem/router is working normally. It may help to reset the modem/router by unplugging and plugging the cable back in, or by pressing the reset or on/off button.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #8

Turn off low data mode

If your phone is on low data mode, try and turn it off to see if that fixes the problem. Follow the steps below to do so:

For iPhone users on wi-fi

1. Go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Wi-Fi’
2. Tap on your network
3. Turn ‘Low Data Mode’ off by toggling the switch

For iPhone users on cellular data

1. Go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Mobile Data’
2. Tap ‘Mobile Data Options’
3. Turn ‘Low Data Mode’ off by toggling the switch

For Android users on wi-fi

1. Go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Connections’
2. Tap ‘Data usage’
3. Tap ‘Data saver’
4. Toggle the ‘Turn on now’ switch off

For Android users on cellular data

1. Go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘SIM cards & mobile networks’
2. Tap ‘Data saver’
3. Toggle the ‘Turn on now’ switch off

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #9

Check whether the app server is down

You can check on the status of the Tello app by Googling “Tello app status page” and finding either the official website status page or one of a number of third-party status detector websites. Additionally, lots of apps have status updates on their official Twitter account, so be sure to check that as well.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #10

Check if your phone is compatible with the app

If your phone isn’t compatible with the Tello app, then there might not be much you can do about it aside from getting a new phone that’s compatible with it. This is probably the most expensive fix on this list, so we hope you don’t need the app enough to have to buy a new phone.

You can check on this by going to the Tello app on the Apple Store or Google Play Store to see if your particular phone is compatible with the app in its current state.

Your Tello app isn’t working: Fix #11

Disable your VPN service

If you’re a VPN user, this may cause problems with using the app. Try turning it off to see if that resolves the issue. If it does, you may have to resort to not using a VPN when using the app.

In conclusion

There’s a number of things that can cause your Tello app to not work properly. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of fixes that should resolve this issue.

To recap, try the following fixes if your Tello app is not working properly:

• Restart your phone
• Alternate between wi-fi and phone data for your connection
• Update your phone to the latest version
• Update the Tello app itself
• Delete and reinstall the app
• Clear your cache
• Turn off low data mode
• Check your wi-fi or phone data
• Check whether the app server is down
• Check if your phone is compatible with the app
• Disable your VPN service

All of these fixes are fairly easy to do, and one or more of these fixes should do the trick.

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