Are your Discord messages stuck loading on iOS?
Many users have complained that since the latest update, some or all of their messages refuse to load properly on the app.
Messages either don’t appear at all or stay in a constant “loading” state, making it hard to keep up with chats or reply in real-time.
Messages are the core of how users communicate on Discord; when they don’t load, the entire app becomes nearly unusable.
A lot of factors ranging from using an outdated Discord app, weak internet connection, to background restrictions on iOS can cause Discord messages to stop loading properly.
In this guide, you will learn how you can fix Discord messages not loading on your iPhone or iPad.
Here’s the TL;DR if you’re in a rush:
- Restart the Discord app
- Turn off VPN or proxy
- Check your internet speed (you’d be surprised)
- Reinstall Discord
- Clear Safari website data (yes, even though it’s not the Discord app)
- Check if Discord is down
- Update your iOS
Why Is Discord Not Loading Messages on iPhone?
This issue usually happens when there’s a weak internet connection, Discord servers are having a moment, or something’s glitching with your app or iPhone’s cache system.
It’s one of those bugs that creeps up out of nowhere — everything’s working fine, and then boom, your DMs just refuse to load.
You’re staring at the spinning loading circle of doom while your friends spam memes you’ll never see.
Sad.
Luckily, we’ve got fixes.
Fix 1: Restart the Discord App
This sounds basic, but it works more often than you’d expect.
Fully close the app by swiping up from your recent apps menu (double-click the home button or swipe from the bottom, depending on your iPhone model), then open Discord again.
Sometimes that’s all it takes to kick it back into gear.
Fix 2: Turn Off VPN or Proxy
Discord isn’t a fan of VPNs — especially some of the free ones.
They can mess with how your app connects to Discord servers, especially when it’s trying to pull in message data.
So if you’ve got a VPN or custom DNS setup running, try turning it off and reloading your DMs.
Fix 3: Check Your Internet Speed
Yeah, we know you’re probably thinking “My internet is fine,” but is it really?
Use a free tool like fast.com or Speedtest to check if your connection is actually fast enough for Discord to load messages.
You’ll want at least 10 Mbps minimum for smooth messaging, though Discord can work with less.
If it’s crawling, try switching to mobile data or connecting to a different Wi-Fi.
Fix 4: Reinstall the Discord App
If Discord’s still being stubborn, a clean reinstall might help.
Here’s how:
- Long press the Discord app icon and tap Remove App.
- Go to the App Store and download Discord again.
- Log in and see if messages start loading.
This wipes out any corrupted app data that could be blocking messages from showing up.
Fix 5: Clear Safari Website Data
Even if you’re not using Safari for Discord, some of the backend caching and certificate data can still affect how apps like Discord behave on iOS.
Clearing it helps reset the system-wide cache.
To do that:
- Go to Settings > Safari
- Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data
- Confirm, then restart your phone
Now try Discord again.
Fix 6: Check Discord Server Status
Sometimes, it’s just not you, it’s them.
Head over to Discord Status to check if there’s a known outage.
If you see a bunch of red or yellow indicators, sit tight.
The Discord devs are probably already working on it.
Fix 7: Update Your iPhone
Outdated iOS versions can cause compatibility issues with newer versions of apps like Discord.
Even if you think you’re on a recent version, check again:
Settings > General > Software Update
If there’s an update, install it, then relaunch Discord and check your messages.
Conclusion
Still not working?
Then this might be one of those bugs on Discord’s side that needs a patch.
Check Reddit or Discord forums, you’ll probably find a bunch of people complaining about the same thing.
When that happens, all you can do is wait or use Discord Web in Safari or Chrome as a temporary fix.
And if something did work for you from this list, drop it in the comments or share it.
Someone else might be stuck staring at an empty chat window too.
Additional Reading:
Fix: Can’t Click On Anything On Discord
Why Isn’t Discord Sending Me Push Notifications To My Phone?
How To Fix Discord Window Stuck On Screen Without A Title Bar
Brianna is based in Minnesota in the US at the moment, and has been writing since 2017. She is currently a 3rd Year med student at the time of writing this.
