Website works on desktop but "can't be reached" on mobile
The site loads on your computer and fails on your phone. That almost always means the phone takes a different road to the site: mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, a different version of the address, or a newer network type.
What to do, in order
- Type the exact address. Phones often autocomplete to
www. or to http://. Try https://yoursite.com and https://www.yoursite.com by hand. If only one fails, the DNS record or the certificate for that name is missing.
- Switch Wi-Fi off, then on. If it fails only on mobile data, check for an AAAA (IPv6) record in your DNS. Mobile networks use IPv6 first. An AAAA record pointing at a server that does not answer on IPv6 breaks the site for phones only. Delete it or fix it.
- Check the redirect. Some themes send phones to a separate mobile address, like
m.yoursite.com. If that address no longer exists, phones get an error. Turn the mobile redirect off.
- Clear the phone's cache or try a private tab. An old DNS answer can stick for hours after you move hosts.
- Check a security plugin or firewall that blocks by country or by network. Mobile carriers share addresses across many users, and one bad user can get the whole range blocked.
If it still fails, send me the address and I will test it from a phone network.
Want the rest of your site checked after it is back? Run a free 40-point check at tinkeraudit.com.