Have you tried applying to join the TikTok Creator Fund only to be faced with a pesky technical error? You meet all the eligibility requirements, yet for some reason, the application fails every time.
In most cases, the TikTok Creator Fund technical error occurs after your application and often displays as:
Thanks for applying
Your application could not be reviewed due to a technical error. Please feel free to apply again after 24 hours.
In the meantime, we encourage you to continue sharing your creativity on TikTok.
It can be incredibly frustrating to deal with when you are hoping to start monetizing your popular TikTok account. But don’t lose hope! This common technical error can often be fixed with a little patience and by following some troubleshooting steps.
Why You Might Be Getting the Technical Error
Before we jump into the troubleshooting, let’s first understand some reasons why you may be facing this error:
High Application Volume
TikTok receives an extremely high number of Creator Fund applications every day. Their systems can sometimes get overwhelmed and be unable to process new applications properly. The technical error is just their way of saying “Try again later.”
With over 1 billion monthly active users, you can imagine the sheer scale TikTok operates. Even minor hiccups cause ripple effects. A tiny 1% application failure rate also means thousands of frustrated creators.
Transient System Issues
As with any complex web platform, TikTok’s servers, networks, databases, etc. can face temporary glitches or failures from time to time. Trying the application again after some time often helps.
There could be momentary database locks or cloud infrastructure issues that prevent writing new Creator Fund application data but get resolved relatively quickly. Think of these as the tech equivalent of a minor cold – annoying but usually goes away on its own!
Account Eligibility Problems
Even though you may meet all the published eligibility criteria, there could be some requirements that are not public. Issues like previous community guideline violations, copyright strikes, etc. could also cause problems.
TikTok maintains undisclosed criteria beyond just followers and views to maintain Creator Fund quality standards. Too many strikes against your account disqualify applications for monetization. However, they prefer keeping the exact thresholds private to prevent abuse.
Software Bugs
Of course, there’s always the possibility of actual software bugs in TikTok’s systems leading to failed applications. But these tend to eventually get resolved.
As big as TikTok is, bugs and defects do creep into even the most well-engineered software. Automated testing catches most but some trickier ones manifest only at scale when millions of users interact with the systems in unpredictable ways. The good news is they invest heavily in bug fixes.
Now let’s get into the possible fixes.
How to Fix TikTok Creator Fund Technical Error
If you have encountered a technical error when signing up for the Creator Fund, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:
1. Wait 48 Hours and Try Again
The first and simplest fix is to just wait patiently! As mentioned before, TikTok’s systems do sometimes fail temporarily due to high loads or glitches.
This is a clever little hack that has apparently worked for some folks facing the persistent technical error:
- Open TikTok and navigate to the Creator Fund section in your profile.
- Carefully submit your application to join the fund.
- If you instantly face the technical error message again preventing approval, don’t stress too much. This is expected.
- Here is the key trick – close TikTok completely and do not attempt accessing the Creator Fund section again for a full 48 hours.
- That means no opening your profile, no clicking the earnings tab, no poking around anywhere near the monetization dashboard. Absolute restraint for 2 days!
- Set a reminder if needed so you don’t give in to temptation. The TikTok UI is designed intentionally to draw you back in through notifications and alerts. Resist it.
- After a strict break of 48 hours, you can open TikTok again and go directly into the Creator Fund.
- Try applying to join once more. And as if by magic, you should hopefully be accepted this time without any pesky technical errors!
- If for some reason it still fails after 48 hours, close the app again and repeat the 48-hour cooling-off period before coming back to check.
What’s likely happening here? Well, the systems have cleared out any stale failed application data associated with your profile within the 2 days. Servers have flushed caches and rebooted perhaps. And engineers may have also resolved any intermittent bugs plaguing the Creator Fund flows.
It’s basically a forced reset for TikTok’s signup systems allowing your subsequent attempt to sailed through cleanly. Do give this clever hack a shot before trying more drastic measures! A little patience and restraint allowing the backends to “catch their breath” seems to be just what the doctor ordered here.
Many users facing technical errors have reported success with simply waiting 2 days before their next application. TikTok would also likely have resolved any glitches in their systems within this window. Absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder!
2. Restart Your Device and Connect to Stable Wifi/Cellular Network
A simple restart of your phone has been effective for some users in troubleshooting TikTok Creator Fund not working. Before attempting to apply again, fully restart your phone or device:
- Close all apps currently running in the background. On iPhone swipe up to preview background apps and close everything not required. Hitting device restart later flushes all app state but we want a clean slate beforehand anyway.
- With apps closed, fully power down your device for 30 seconds before restarting again. This clears any junk data clogging up memory and also resets networking components.
- Once restarted, ensure you are connected to a strong and stable internet connection, either WiFi or fast LTE/5G cellular data before launching TikTok.
- Run a speed test inside your browser to validate your connectivity. Download speeds above 10 Mbps and low latency below 100 ms is preferred when submitting Creator Fund applications to handle large payload sizes.
Slow, intermittent networks can sometimes cause failures in submitting forms and applications properly. So make sure your internet connectivity is solid before you hit that apply button.
3. Update to the Latest Version of the TikTok App
Another small but highly recommended check – ensure you’re running the latest version of TikTok available in your device’s app store.
Companies roll out crucial bug fixes and stability improvements with each new app release targeted at solving known crashing issues.
Updating eliminates any chances of pesky software defects in an aging version of the TikTok app causing trouble when trying to access the Creator Fund.
- On your phone, open the App Store / Play Store and search for TikTok.
- Manually trigger an update check and install any pending updates shown. Your device set to auto-update apps should prevent this but it never hurts checking for TikTok specifically.
- Alternatively, you can manually trigger an update check within TikTok by tapping your profile icon > Settings and Support > App Updates.
- If prompted, download and install the latest TikTok version on your device. Then attempt accessing the Creator Fund again.
4. Use a Different Device to Apply
In some cases, there could be device-specific issues that cause repeated technical errors – for example, some incompatibility with your phone model, iOS/Android OS version etc.
Before blaming TikTok’s systems entirely, it’s worth verifying across multiple devices if possible:
- Install TikTok on another available device like a secondary phone, tablet, iPad, or use an Android emulator on your Windows/Mac computer.
- On the new device, log into your TikTok account with the same credentials.
- Attempt to navigate to your Creator Fund page and apply again.
- If the application goes through successfully on the alternate device, you know something was likely up with your primary phone software/hardware setup.
In that scenario, consider the following – reinstall TikTok freshly after deleting cache/data, and upgrade to the latest OS version available for your phone model if you have been delaying updates.
5. Strengthen Account Security
While not directly causing the Creator Fund technical error, this is still worth trying from an account security perspective:
- Inside TikTok settings, enable two-factor authentication security prompts when logging in or accessing the app from a new device.
- Also, change your main account password to something longer and highly complex that would be difficult to crack.
- Combined, these steps guard against any chances of someone remotely logging into your account.
Afterward, attempt applying for the Creator Fund again from your own device while signed in to confirm any issues were not indirectly caused by potential account breaches from elsewhere allowing bad actions.
6. Attempt with a Brand New TikTok Test Account
Sometimes there may be lingering issues with your account related to past violations of TikTok’s community guidelines. Or copyright strikes against previous videos.
Creating a brand new test account on your mobile device or emulator is worth attempting:
- Open TikTok and sign up for a new account with an alternate dummy email address and phone number not tied currently to any existing TikTok profiles.
- With the fresh account, avoid posting any videos to it for now. We don’t want automated scans thinking you are spamming duplicate content across accounts.
- Once redirected back to your feed on your test profile, immediately try accessing the Monetization > Creator Fund section.
- Carefully submit an application and check if it is successful without any technical errors.
- If your brand new account lets you apply instantly with no issues, that points to some underlying eligibility problems still persisting on your primary TikTok profile preventing Creator Fund access.
In that unfortunate scenario, consider reaching out to TikTok support for assistance in understanding and rectifying problems associated with your main account. Provide the test account details to them as a reference.
7. Contact TikTok Creator Support
If you have patiently tried all troubleshooting steps multiple times over several days to no avail, your best recourse is to directly contact TikTok for Creator Support:
- Inside TikTok on your account facing problems, tap your Profile icon.
- Next, choose “Report a Problem” from the menu.
- Select the option related to “Monetization > About the Creator Fund”.
- In the text notes, neatly summarize the technical error you are facing preventing application approval despite meeting the stated criteria.
- Mention troubleshooting steps attempted on your own end across multiple days, different devices, etc.
- Finally, request that an agent manually verify and approve your Creator Fund status to bypass any glitches.
Be polite and constructive here avoiding frustrated rants. The TikTok Creator Fund support team members are humans too and much more willing to help creators who reach out respectfully explaining their diligent efforts so far.
Hopefully, by having an agent manually verify and onboard your account, you will bypass any stubborn technical issues for good. If they require further troubleshooting, cooperate fully to resolve this blocker preventing you from finally monetizing your amazing TikTok content!
Be Patient and Persist
To summarize – firstly, understand that the TikTok technical error when applying for the Creator Fund is quite common but can definitely be tackled systematically.
Before getting overly frustrated, patiently attempt the step-by-step troubleshooting guide outlined here. Waiting days, validating across devices, checking app versions, and strengthening account security are all proven remedies by the community.
Typically you should anticipate success within 5-7 days by methodically running through the suggested fixes. Persist and have faith! The revenue potential unlocked once you gain access is worth the temporary hassle.
Stay inspired envisioning your videos being enjoyed globally while also earning you income. The loyalty of TikTok’s billion strong user community coupled with the rich monetization once in the Creator Fund makes all this effort worthwhile!
Good luck and keep hustling! May the TikTok gods bless your profile with many more viral hits ahead! Just hang in there and keep up your persistence game. You’ve got this.