So, after seeing a lot of comments with players having trouble getting the game to load I’m popping this up.
Read first, comment after !!
There’s an updated version for players with iOS devices.
If you’re on an Android based device keep reading.
Click here for that updated post
Firstly I’m not having any issues, but I’m using 3 Android based devices.
Try these tips then if it’s still a problem and you are not playing an anonymous game try an uninstall and re-install and if that doesn’t help I’m putting a note and link at the end.
Don’t uninstall if your game isn’t linked to an account. It’ll delete it !!
If your game Can’t Connect ( Bart Screen ) close your game either in Recent Apps – often as simple as swiping it off from there, but depends on device – or find it in Settings and Force Close, then restart it from the App Icon, not a Notification.
If Bart pops back up only hit Retry once. If it keeps coming back with a countdown kill the game and restart it again.
If that keeps happening turn off the Internet access for your device, both WiFi and Mobile Data if you have both options.
Usually you can do that with the Drop Down menu for the device, or can edit that to include those.
If you restart or reload your game with no internet you get a different Can’t Connect message that says it’s your fault.
When that shows up swipe down for that menu and restart the Internet for your device.
Give it a moment to connect then hit Retry on that alternate message.
I’ll add – if you get an endlessly spinning donut it’s basically a broken Bart Screen that’ll sit there and wait forever for you to tap a Retry Button that is not there !!
The Kill and Restart and the No Internet tips apply for the Endless Donut too.
One other option, if you have another device – it doesn’t matter if it’s old and no good to tap on as long as you can log in without it crashing.
Start the game on the other device until you see it warn “Your Other Device …”
Re-load on your preferred device to trigger that warning on it and tap to Play Anyway / Continue and back to the splashscreen to tap to play
If nothing worked head to AHQ, sign in with your EA account email and password and post on the linked thread including what device and what version of the OS you have.
If there’s enough posts with enough info it’ll help them figure a fix.
Click here for that AHQ thread
It’s Friday. I’m getting the spinning donut of death again. Game won’t load. Third time this week. Sigh.
So it’s Monday and my game won’t load again. A couple of days ago I did an uninstall and reinstall and that fixed it. But it’s doing the same thing again with the spinning donut of death. This is getting old. Sigh. It takes forever to uninstall and reinstall.
I discovered a glitch after uninstalling and reinstalling. I set every character on an 8 hour job. As many of you know, a lot of characters have the job “dance at the sweldorado” (sorry about my spelling) at the Chez Guevara. This morning I tapped on the thumbs at the Chez Guevara and that’s when the glitch happened. The game went into a weird loop. It wouldn’t let me do anything else. So I went to the other Springfields page and went back. The game looped back and all of the jobs at the Chez Guevara were done and thumbs ready to be tapped. So I tapped the thumbs and it happened again. Some of you might see this as a beneficial glitch because you get a ton of donuts with every glitch, but the game was unplayable in this loop. So I stored the Chez Guevara, closed the game, and restarted. Everything is back to normal. I put the Chez Guevara back and continued tapping. I have a feeling that the glitch is still there if I send everyone on 8 hour jobs again. I will have to remember this.
It’s a well known glitch and can happen for any of those group tasks too, when you send a lot of people on the same job at the same place.
Known as the Milk Glitch because it can happen when you Send Springfielders to Buy Milk and also if you just keep reloading the game you can milk it for $$s and XP before storing the place where everyone is stuck !!
The only thing that worked for me was to uninstall and reinstall
Tried everything now it’s telling me I can’t log in cause I don’t meet he legal min age thus is just a joke I’ve been playing the game for years and never had trouble with the game I give up to frustrating for this old bird
Sounds like there may have been a problem with the Birthday thing.
I’d re-try but put the year in first and check it before adding the month
Tried still won’t open I guess I’m waiting for the next download
Just posted a short and sweet updated post on this for iOS –
https://tstoaddicts.com/2023/10/07/game-not-loading-updated-thoh-2023/
Might be worth checking that out
If you have a game account, do a complete uninstall/reinstall. It takes a really long time, but it does fix the problems with the game not loading.
This morning woke up and it just spins…. Just started this AM
Well, after playing this event with no issues up to now, I’m now getting the endless spinning donut on the splash screen on my iPad. I really don’t want to have to uninstall and reinstall…uggg! I’ll give it a few more tries over the next little while and see if maybe it resolves on its own. I don’t know why it picked now to start acting up!
Some have said Hard Close can help, but may need a few tries.
I’m also seeing players say they keep needing to do the Month + Year malarkey – and that might be a sign it’s gonna behave and actually load.
If not hope you’re on WiFi or a good Data Plan for the files download
Wifi all the way! I had tried hard closing several times with no luck. Reinstall took close to an hour (I think) for all the files and updates to download, but seems to have fixed things (or did at that point…I haven’t been in the game yet this morning).
Wow !!
My WiFi isn’t lightning fast, 70mbps or so, but even my 5th gen Kindle takes under 10 minutes if I have to re-install
Sure, the actual initial install doesn’t take very long, but I was counting the thousands of updates it needs to also install once you open the game after doing the reinstall. That’s where the long timeframe comes in.
Theoretically, I have “gig speed” internet (not sure what exactly the speed is over wifi) and have good streaming with my Roku and stuff. I don’t think the issue is my wifi speed, it’s just that there’s a ton of info my game needs to re-download, between the game updates and all of the specific info about my 9+ years old town.
The actual town info isn’t a big download – when you pop to Friends and back or restart it, that’s what it’ll affect.
Its every image and info for every item, task, quest and dialog for all the years of updates it downloads on re-install.
My under 10 mins is start to finish and ready to tap so maybe that longer time is down to how apple gets those files and checks ’em before it moves ’em into storage ready to use.
It’s why you need a ton of extra space too for the install too.
It doesn’t add ’em to the game while it gets ’em, it makes a copy and waits until it’s ready and then saves ’em.
^^ the initial download is the core program to handle the data.
The biggie that follow is ALL the game data it needs.
Usually after an update it already has the older info and just packs in the new bits when you see it downloading …
^^ just the folder I use for research contains 4,051 files !!
I wish they would give us the option to uninstall this event instead.
I have no sound! Everything has been fine until this morning (10-7-23). It loads and plays fine, just no sound. I’ve checked my sound settings and they are not turned off. Any ideas as to what has happened? Thanks.
I’m not the best to answer on that sorry.
I always play with the sound off.
It drives my Mrs nuts just seeing me tap, she’d likely go nuclear if she kept hearing it too !!
Thanks so much for this post.
I’m having trouble getting in to TSTO as well. I’ll try your suggestions
On day 1 I had the endless donut loading screen for awhile during the day. a few times since then the game has asked me to confirm date of birth (iPhone / newest IOS)
I get in no problem (iPhone and iPad) problem occurs if I try to log out and go to one of my other Springfields. Happen to be logged in to the same Springfield on both devices so just playing that one this event.
Is it that you can’t log out, or that it goes screwy if you try to log in again ??
If it’s that you can’t log out as usual head to the Friends Towns section. The button on the bottom right that looks like an ID Card – the one to send Friend Requests – has a Logout option.
NOTE: if you go there and don’t see the Invite Button next to the Logout one then Hard Close and restart the game and check it again, seems if that button is missing you can’t log out that way either !?!
( One of the other AHQ Heroes is needing to do that on their iPad )
It goes screwy when I attempt to log out to go to another Springfield
One way – if that Friends Towns logout tip didn’t help and your game is linked to an account / on another device …
Uninstalling will remove the log-in credentials too – so when you re-install you can log in on your other game
Thanks for the tips, still isn’t working. I’m ok with it actually. I have four Springfields and was actually thinking of going down to one or two as I don’t seem to have enough time lately for them all. Fortunately, the one I’m in is my biggest one (highest percentage, most donuts)
I had commented in another post that uninstalling and reinstalling the game worked for me and been able to play. Thanks Graham for suggesting some methods … unfortunately they didn’t work.. only reinstalling seemed to do the trick for me.
But on another note.. since the game started and if one purchased the Tree Farm with the Might Oak Tree character… the character remains shaded in the collection list. The character is walking around in the game and is usable for event currency.. but not registering in the collected list.
Not sure where to bring this upto in EA…
Don’t suppose you got a screenshot when it unlocked so you can see the xmas tree farm or it in shot and the set ??
You can upload pics over on AHQ and that’s the best way to get stuff flagged, as long as there’s enough posts or Me Toos on an issue that is – at least 3 is the usual minimum.
AHQ main TSTO link, log in with your EA account email and password to post
https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Simpsons-Tapped-Out/bd-p/The-Simpsons-Tapped-Out
PS – for players with the game not loading there’s a link to the specific AHQ thread for that at the end of my article post.
It’s interesting that this is a bit of a widespread problem . I have the constantly spinning donut yesterday on my iPhone, but no problems getting in on my iPad. The only way I fixed it was a delete and reinstall, and now it works just fine again.
Thanks Graham! I feel better that it’s not just me. This has been The.Worst.Update Ever. UGH!!! I use a mini iPad with an older version iOS and and iPhone 8 plus. My husband uses a newer iPad but not the 17 iOS yet. Since this quest started, we’ve gotten the ‘needs code’ process at last once each. After that, now it’s a 50/50 shot it I’ll have to add my month and year of birth EVERY SINGLE time I log in. I really hate it. Then my donut just spins and spins and spins. So I HARD close the game AGAIN. After a few attempts, I finally get in. It’s just annoying. I don’t mind once in awhile, but since this new game update, it’s daily now. I will read over your suggestions. Thanks so much for posting. At least I don’t feel so alone anymore. 🙂
Yep, same here. Since the update for the new event, it always takes at least 2 attempts to get in with it often crashing trying to log in. Even had to reboot my entire phone once to get it to work. I have not deleted the game. I may give that a try.
Note. I am getting in. It just always takes more the one attempt.
Had same problem, restarting my iPhone seemed to solve it. It happened 2 or three times, and again after I installed iOS 17. Been ok since
Clearing the app catch (Not data) and a restart solved it for me.
I should have tried that before I did the uninstall/reinstall! The reinstall worked, but it would have been a lot faster to try charging cache first, and it’s possible the the u/r working because it essentially did the same thing. 🙄