Have you tried to create a TikTok account but received an error saying your email or phone number is not recognized? This frustrating issue can prevent you from accessing TikTok and using the popular social media app.
The good news is there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to try and resolve this problem.
In this post, we’ll outline some of the main reasons why TikTok may not be recognizing your contact information and provide detailed solutions to help fix the issues.
Why TikTok May Not Recognize Your Email or Phone Number
There are a few potential reasons why TikTok might give you problems with registering your email or phone number:
You Have Multiple Accounts
TikTok limits the number of accounts that can be created with a single phone number or email address. If you have already set up a TikTok account using that contact information before, trying to create another new account can sometimes lead to issues with TikTok not recognizing your details.
Your Information Has Been Flagged
In some cases, your email, phone number, or IP address may end up getting flagged by TikTok if they detect suspicious activity.
Getting flagged can prevent you from being able to create new accounts associated with that contact information.
Temporary Outage
TikTok relies on many servers and databases working together behind the scenes. Sometimes temporary technical issues can cause problems with account creation and validating contact information.
Waiting a while and trying again later often helps resolve these temporary outages.
Bans Due to Violations
Users who have severely or repeatedly violated TikTok’s terms of service and community guidelines can end up getting banned. Part of the banning process can involve blacklisting email addresses, phone numbers or device IDs.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide
If you encounter issues with TikTok not recognizing your email or phone number, don’t panic. Follow these detailed troubleshooting steps below to properly diagnose and resolve many common problems:
1. Double-check your information
Carefully check that the email address or phone number you are attempting to use is entered correctly without any typos or mistakes. For phone numbers, ensure the country code is properly included as well.
Correcting any accidental errors in data entry can sometimes resolve the issues entirely on its own. Pay close attention when typing your information.
2. Try clearing TikTok app data
Open your device settings, navigate to the TikTok app page, and tap to clear stored data and cache. Deleting app data forces the TikTok app to restart fresh which can clear up some data conflicts.
To clear cache on TikTok
- Open device settings
- Scroll down and select “Apps” or “Application Manager”
- Find TikTok app and select it
- Tap option to delete app data/cache or uninstall app updates
- Confirm clearing data.
- Open TikTok app again and attempt to sign up.
You can also clear TikTok cache through the app’s settings. To do this:
- Open your TikTok profile and tap on the hamburger icon (☰) in the upper right corner.
- Tap on “Settings and privacy.”
- Choose “Free up space” under the “Cache & Cellular” tab.
- Tap the “Clear” button next to “Cache” to clear the cache.
3. Use different contact information
Attempt signing up with an alternative email address or phone number that hasn’t been associated with a TikTok account before.
Registering a new email or getting a new phone number isn’t ideal, but can determine if the issues lie with your existing contact information specifically or something else.
If you don’t have easy access to alternate contact details, move on to the other troubleshooting steps first before resorting to changing your information.
4. Check if your info is banned
TikTok maintains lists of banned emails, phone numbers and device IDs that are blocked from accessing the platform.
To check if your details have ended up on these blacklists, visit TikTok’s appeal form and attempt to submit an appeal.
- If your appeal goes through successfully, that means your email, phone number or device ID is not banned outright. There may be other temporary restrictions or validation issues, but at least permanent blacklist status gets ruled out.
- However, if your appeal gets instantly rejected, that confirms your registered contact information or device does likely have an active ban in effect. Automatic rejections signal that the details you submitted are on a blacklist that prohibits creating any new accounts.
Banned statuses takes significant effort to overturn, but is possible by submitting an appeal and clearly demonstrating you have learned from any past violations of community rules.
5. Try connecting via a VPN or different network
Connecting through a VPN or different network location can determine if the issues are isolated or network-related.
Connect via cellular data instead of WiFi or vice versa. Similarly, enabling a VPN can route your device traffic through different servers which sometimes resolves network-dependent issues.
Free VPN options to test this:
Reach out to local network admins as well if attempting TikTok signup on employer or school networks which commonly block sites.
6. Update the TikTok App and operating system
Having outdated versions of apps and operating system can introduce software bugs preventing proper TikTok account creation.
Ensure TikTok app is fully updated through the app store/play store. Additionally update your Android, iOS, or other device operating system to the latest available version.
Updating eliminates software bugs that may be conflicting with TikTok’s signup mechanisms behind the scenes.
Here’s how to update the TikTok app on iPhone and Android:
iPhone:
- Open the App Store.
- Tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and find TikTok.
- If an update is available, it will say “Update” next to the app name. Tap Update.
- You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID password.
- The app will download and install the update automatically.
Android:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Tap the menu icon in the top left corner.
- Select “My apps & games.”
- Find TikTok in the list.
- If an update is available, it will say “Update” next to the app name. Tap Update.
- The app will download and install the update automatically.
7. Factory reset device
As a last resort, performing a factory reset to wipe your device back to a clean default state can weed out any corrupted files or settings causing trouble recognizing emails/numbers.
While resetting removes all apps & data, it offers the highest chance of fixing TikTok problems caused by lingering software issues.
Follow manufacturer instructions for factory resetting your specific device model.
Hopefully after trying the applicable troubleshooting tips, you’ll successfully resolve the error messages involving unrecognized emails and phone numbers. Let me know in the comments if any issues persist after attempting these fixes.
Conclusion
Getting blocked from creating a TikTok account can certainly be frustrating. But as we’ve explored in this post, there are always thoughtful troubleshooting steps you can walk through before giving up hope.
By taking the time to methodically break down the problem and test different solutions, many common sign up issues can be reversed.
Start with simpler fixes like double checking your details were entered correctly. Then build up to clearing app cache, using alternate contacts, checking for bans, and finally switching networks or factory resetting devices if all else fails.
While tedious, methodically working through elimination helps narrow down what specifically is blocking TikTok from validating your information during registration.
With the right mindset of patience and gradually escalating steps, hopefully you’ve unlocked the solution getting your account access restored. We all stumble into these tech roadblocks once in awhile.
But there is always a way forward with the right strategic perspective along with community help. Stay positive and let us know in the comments which workaround ended up doing the trick so others can benefit from your experience!
