What is causing the ‘There was a problem with the network [503]’ error?
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that are commonly being used to fix the There was a problem with network [503] error. Looking at the status code, we can determine that this is a server-side issue that typically appears when the site’s server is not reachable (for one reason or another). It’s known to happen with a variety of browsers and operating systems, on smartphones and desktop devices alike. In most cases, the error ends up being caused by the connector in one form or another. Based on our investigations, there are several different culprits that have the potential of triggering this particular issue:
Method 1: Verifying the status of Google Servers
Before you move down to the other methods below and start troubleshooting the issue with several repair strategies that other users have found to be helpful, it’s important to ensure that the issue is not beyond your control. Youtube servers have a reputation for being reliable, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have maintenance periods from time to time. Just last year, YouTube suffered a major outage and the [503] error was top of the list when it comes to user reports. To ensure that the issue is not completely server-side, take a couple of seconds to visit websites like DownDetector or Outage to check whether other users like yourself are also encountering the same issue. Another good place to look is Youtube’s official Twitter account. They have a habit of posting any type of scheduled maintenance or a major power outage that they might be facing. If you’ve verified and there’s no major event that might trigger the There was a problem with network [503] error, move down to the next method below for some troubleshooting guides.
Method 2: Deleting videos from the Watch Later list
In most cases, There was a problem with network [503] error occurs with users that have a lot of videos added to the Watch Later list. Although there’s no official explanation on why this method is effective, several users have reported that they managed to fix the issue after they deleted all videos that they previously added to the Watch Later list. Once they did this and restarted the application, any new videos that they added to the Watch Later list didn’t trigger the There was a problem with network [503] error. This seems to suggest that Google’s platform is suffering from a recurring but that might end up causing this issue. Here’s a couple of quick guides on deleting videos from the Watch Later list. One is for desktop devices (PC and Mac) and one is for mobile devices (Android & iOS). Follow whichever guide is applicable to the type of device that you’re using.
Deleting videos from the Watch Later list on Android:
Deleting videos from the Watch Later list on PC:
If you still get the same error code even after following the method above, move down to the next method below.
Method 3: Clearing Youtube’s Cache data (if applicable)
As it turns out, this particular issue can also be client-side on Android devices. There are a lot of users reports that encountered the There was a problem with network [503] error and managed to fix it by clearing the Youtube’s apps cache and data. This fix is confirmed to be effective on both newer Android versions and older builds. Here’s a quick on how to clear’s Youtube’s Cache data: If you’re still encountering the There was a problem with network [503] error, move down to the next method below.
Method 4: Resetting APN settings to default (if applicable)
Several Android users have reported that they managed to resolve the There was a problem with network [503] error by resetting the access point names to the default values. After doing so and restarting their device, some affected users have reported that the There was a problem with network [503] error was no longer occurring. This solution is confirmed to work on Android KitKat, Lolipop, Marshmallow and Nougat. Here’s a quick guide on resetting the APN (Access Point Names) on an Android device:
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