With over 50 million daily active users, Reddit is one of the most popular social platforms around. But, the official Reddit mobile app frustrates many users due to bugs, lack of optimization, and missing features. One of the most complained about issues is the inability to upvote or downvote posts and comments on the app properly. Upvoting and downvoting are integral to the Reddit experience. It’s how the community surfaces the best content and moderates itself. Not being able to vote on mobile takes away a core Reddit capability that users rely on.
In this post, we’ll dive into why you may be unable to upvote or downvote on the Reddit app and possible fixes to restore this functionality. Follow along to learn the root causes and solutions to start voting smoothly on mobile Reddit once again.
How Upvoting and Downvoting Works on Reddit
Upvoting and downvoting are how the Reddit community curates content on the platform. When you upvote a post or comment, it moves up in ranking on the subreddit page and gains more visibility. If enough users upvote a submission, it can end up on Reddit’s front page. Downvoting pushes content lower in the subreddit ranking to give less visibility to posts and comments the community deems unhelpful or irrelevant. The number of upvotes and downvotes also determines a user’s karma score.
This crowdsourced voting system is core to how Reddit operates. It allows the community to decide what content gets seen and engaged with. For Reddit to function as intended, users need to be able to upvote and downvote on all platforms freely.
Upvoting/Downvoting Works on Desktop But Not Mobile App
The Reddit mobile app has some key differences from the desktop site. One of the most frustrating for users is that upvoting and downvoting doesn’t work properly. On the Reddit desktop site, every post and comment has upvote and downvote arrows. You can click to upvote or downvote as desired. However, on the Reddit mobile app, there are no voting arrows on posts or comments.
Some users have reported that the voting arrows briefly appear when you tap a post or comment. But often, tapping the arrows does nothing, or you get an error message. The mobile app struggles to register upvotes and downvotes.
So, while the functionality exists on the app, it is very inconsistent. This takes away a core Reddit feature that mobile users expect access to.
Potential Explanations for Lack of Upvoting/Downvoting on Mobile App
There are a few possible explanations for why upvoting and downvoting are so problematic on the Reddit mobile app:
Coding issues: The Reddit mobile app is known to have some bugs and glitches. The inability to reliably upvote/downvote could come down to coding errors related to vote registration. Certain touches or taps may not trigger the intended response.
Server overload: With over 50 million users, Reddit’s servers have to process a huge volume of traffic. Mobile servers may struggle to handle vote requests at peak traffic times. Votes may fail to register due to server load issues.
Connection problems: Using Reddit on a spotty mobile data or WiFi connection could cause upvote/downvote actions to fail. Weak connections increase latency, which may hinder vote processing.
Accessibility problems: The Reddit app may have issues registering tap gestures from some users. Those with motor impairments or using assistive technologies may have difficulty accessing the voting feature.
Intentional mobile limitations: Reddit may limit voting on mobile to discourage blind upvoting/downvoting while scrolling quickly. This could push mobile users to engage more thoughtfully before voting.
Why Upvoting/Downvoting Matters for Mobile Users
Being unable to properly upvote and downvote on the Reddit mobile app is very frustrating for users. Here’s why mobile voting is important:
Community moderation: Voting helps mobile users moderate content just like on a desktop. Without it, they can’t participate in curating their subreddit feeds.
Visibility: Upvotes increase the visibility of good posts. Without mobile upvoting, some content won’t get the eyes it deserves.
Rewarding contributors: Mobile users can’t reward great posts/comments with karma through upvotes. This limits community incentives.
Identification: Downvoting calls out unhelpful/rule-breaking content for mobile mods. Removing this limits community self-policing.
Personalization: Upvoting trains Reddit’s algorithm on a mobile user’s tastes. Not being able to vote hurts feed personalization.
Engagement: Being able to vote easily makes mobile users more likely to engage with posts rather than just scroll.
Workarounds: How To Upvote/Downvote on Mobile Reddit
Since voting directly doesn’t consistently work in the Reddit app, users have come up with some workarounds:
- Tap the post title to open it, then vote from there.
- Long press on a post/comment and select “Vote” from the popup menu.
- View your profile, go to “Upvoted” and “Downvoted” posts, then vote from your history.
- Switch to compact mode – this often shows voting arrows reliably.
- Use a third-party Reddit app like Boost or BaconReader with better voting interfaces.
- Temporarily switch to the desktop site from your mobile browser to vote.
These methods have helped some users regain voting ability in the mobile app. But having to use convoluted workarounds just to upvote or downvote content is far from ideal.
7 Ways to Restore Upvoting and Downvoting on the Reddit Mobile App
Here are seven troubleshooting tips to try and get upvoting/downvoting working again in the Reddit app:
1. Maximize the Post Before Voting
For some reason, voting tends to work more consistently when done via a maximized post instead of from the main feed view. Try this:
- Open the Reddit app and navigate to a post you want to vote on.
- Tap the post’s title to open the full screen view.
- Use the upvote and downvote buttons shown below the post contents.
If that doesn’t work, keep trying the below fixes.
2. Check Your Internet Connection
Using Reddit on a fast, reliable internet connection is key for all features to work well. Make sure you are on a strong WiFi network or 4G/5G cellular data. You can also contact your internet service provider to confirm your connectivity is uninterrupted. Smooth internet access helps ensure votes go through.
3. Restart the Reddit App
Restarting the app wipes out any temporary glitches that may be preventing voting from working properly in the current session.
To restart the Reddit app:
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to close the app from your device’s multitasking view.
- Tap the Reddit app icon again to relaunch it.
4. Update to the Latest Reddit App Version
If voting is broken for a lot of users, Reddit likely pushed out a bug fix update. Go to your device’s app store and check for any available Reddit app updates. Install the latest version to see if that resolves mobile voting problems.
5. Clear the App Cache (Android Only)
The app cache stores temporary data that can sometimes execute bugs. Clearing it out wipes this dodgy data.
To clear the Reddit app cache on Android:
- Long press the Reddit app icon and tap “App Info”
- Go to “Storage usage” and tap “Clear cache”
Note: Unfortunately, the app cache cannot be cleared on iOS.
6. Uninstall and Reinstall the App
As a last resort, uninstalling the Reddit app deletes any corrupt files that may be interfering with voting. Reinstalling gives you a clean slate.
To uninstall/reinstall:
- Long press the Reddit app icon and tap “Uninstall”
- Confirm by tapping “Delete”
Install the app again from your device’s app store
7. Try a Third-Party Reddit App
If the issues persist even after the above fixes, switching to an alternative Reddit app may be your best bet. Popular options like RiF, BaconReader, Sync, and Boost offer a smoother experience. Third-party apps have more optimized code and may provide access to voting when the official app fails. Give one a shot to upvote/downvote without headaches.
Why Upvoting and Downvoting Matter on Mobile
Being able to seamlessly vote on Reddit mobile isn’t just a minor perk – it’s an essential part of the Reddit experience. Here’s why fixing broken voting in the app matters:
- Allows moderating and curating feeds on-the-go.
- Helps good content gain the visibility it deserves.
- Enables rewarding contributors and cultivating community.
- Permits identifying and downvoting unhelpful posts.
- Trains Reddit’s algorithm on your preferences via upvotes.
- Drives higher engagement as users vote rather than just scroll.
In short, buttery-smooth voting functionality is critical for keeping Reddit addictive and community-driven – no matter what device you use it on.
How Reddit Can Improve Voting for Mobile Users
To address this longstanding mobile app problem, Reddit engineers need to:
Diagnostic testing: Thoroughly test vote processing on emulators/simulators to identify failure points.
Optimized coding: Audit mobile code and refactor as needed to optimize vote registration and transmission.
Scalability fixes: Profile infrastructure and upgrade capacity to handle peak mobile vote loads.
Latency reductions: Minimize lag by optimizing data transmission and caching popular content/subreddits.
Accessibility checks: Review the mobile interface to ensure reliable vote access regardless of abilities and device types.
Feature parity: Close feature gaps between mobile and desktop sites by bringing reliable vote arrows to apps.
User experience focus: Survey mobile users and iterate the app based on pain points around voting and other actions.
Smooth and painless upvoting and downvoting are integral to the Reddit user experience. By making mobile voting reliable, Reddit can help unify desktop and app platforms for a seamless community experience across devices.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reddit Mobile Voting
Here are some common questions about why upvoting and downvoting don’t work properly on the Reddit mobile app:
Why can I see voting arrows on some posts/comments but not others?
This inconsistent visibility seems to be a glitch. Some users can briefly see vote arrows before they disappear. It’s likely a coding issue.
Does this affect both iOS and Android apps?
Yes, Reddit users on both iOS and Android have reported problems upvoting and downvoting within the apps. It’s an issue across platforms.
Is there a problem with my account if I can’t vote on mobile?
No, this isn’t an account-specific issue. It’s widespread across users and affects lurkers as well as those logged in.
Can I vote if I switch to desktop mode on my mobile browser?
Yes, opening the desktop site in your mobile browser will allow voting as normal. The issue is isolated to the native apps.
Why does voting work better in some third-party Reddit apps?
Alternative apps like Boost don’t have the same code or infrastructure constraints. Their developers have prioritized smooth voting.
Does this issue affect other Reddit app features?
While voting is a major problem, other actions like posting, commenting, and moderating can also be buggy on mobile.
Takeaways
While upvoting and downvoting often break in the Reddit mobile app, there are fixes you can try to get this core feature working again:
- Open posts fully before attempting to vote on them.
- Check your internet connection and app version are up-to-date.
- Restart the app and clear the cache (Android only) to wipe temporary glitches.
- Uninstall and reinstall the app for a clean slate if needed.
- Consider switching to a third-party Reddit app with more reliable voting.
Hopefully, with these troubleshooting tips, you’ll be upvoting and downvoting your favorite Reddit content on mobile without issue. But Reddit still needs to step up and permanently squash this persistent usability bug in their official app.
