How to Fix YouTube Comments Not Loading on Android in 2026

YouTube comments that load forever, show as a single grey block, or simply fail to appear are one of the most common YouTube complaints in 2026. The causes are usually local (cache, account sign-in, restricted mode) but there are also a few cases where Google’s comment moderation has hidden them server-side. The fix list below covers the six causes in the order most likely to resolve the issue.

Here is the practical YouTube comments not loading fix list for Android in 2026, the step-by-step, and how to tell when the problem is on the server side and not yours.

Step 1: clear YouTube app cache, not data

Long-press the YouTube icon, App info, Storage, Clear cache. The single most common fix. The Cache rebuild loads the comments view fresh, including the cached comment moderation state.

Step 2: turn off Restricted Mode

YouTube, Profile, Settings, General, Restricted Mode. Restricted Mode hides comments on many videos by design. If you signed in on a child profile or set Restricted Mode by accident, this is the cause.

Step 3: check your network and DNS

Some comment-loading failures are DNS-related. Switch to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google) in Private DNS settings. If a VPN endpoint is rate-limited by YouTube, comments may load partially or not at all.

Step 4: update YouTube, WebView, and Play services

Three packages. Open Play Store, search for each, update. After Android 15 or 16 system updates this is the single most common silent fix for YouTube failures, including comments.

Step 5: try the same video on web or another device

If comments do not appear on youtube.com from a desktop browser either, the issue is server-side (channel moderation has hidden them, or YouTube has a known outage). If they appear on desktop but not the Android app, the issue is local.

Step 6: sign out and sign back in

Profile, Manage Google account, sign out. Sign back in. This refreshes the auth token and the YouTube preference state, which occasionally fixes the comment view.

The setup, step by step

1. 1

   Clear YouTube cache

   App info, Storage, Clear cache.

2. 2

   Turn off Restricted Mode

   Settings, General, Restricted Mode.

3. 3

   Check Private DNS and VPN

   Settings, Network, Private DNS, Automatic or off.

4. 4

   Update three packages

   YouTube, Android System WebView, Google Play services.

5. 5

   Test on desktop

   Compare youtube.com on a browser. If broken there, server-side.

6. 6

   Sign out and back in

   Profile, Manage Google account, sign out, sign in.

FAQ

Bottom line

YouTube comments not loading on Android in 2026 is almost always a five-minute fix. Clear cache, check Restricted Mode, update WebView and Play services, and try the video on desktop to isolate local versus server-side. Sideloaded clients invite their own problems; the official app is the right baseline.