If you are not getting DoorDash orders, possible causes include a paused or inactive dash, connection or app problems, an outage, limited eligible offers, or low demand relative to available drivers. A quiet period alone does not tell you which explanation applies.
Start by separating no offers arriving from offers arriving that you do not want to accept. The first calls for checks on access, connectivity, and demand. The second is a question about offer quality and whether the work fits your costs. This guide focuses on diagnosing the first situation without wasting your shift on repeated app resets or unnecessary driving.
Start here: what exactly is happening?
Stop somewhere safe before checking your phone. Use the symptom you can actually observe to choose the next step.
| What you see | What to check next |
|---|---|
| You cannot start a dash | Check access, activation notices, and the scheduling options shown in your app. |
| The dash shows a pause screen | Resume it when you are ready to receive offers. |
| The app freezes or will not load | Check your connection and whether an outage is involved. |
| Offers appear, but you miss the alerts | Review Dasher push notifications and your phone’s alert settings. |
| The app works, but no offers arrive | Review eligible delivery types, location, and demand before deciding whether to move. |
1. Confirm that you have started a dash and it is not paused
Being signed in is not the same as being on a running dash. DoorDash’s Dash Now guidance explains how starting a dash makes you available for offers. If you only see scheduling options, follow the availability shown for your account.
Check for a pause screen or a setting that stopped orders after your previous delivery. DoorDash’s pause instructions describe both pausing while waiting and stopping new orders after a delivery. Resume the dash when you are ready, and check that it has not already ended.
If you cannot start at all, treat that as a separate access problem. New drivers should check any unfinished activation steps. Scheduling also varies by program: DoorDash’s current scheduling instructions note that participants in the Overall Dasher Rating pilot can go online without reserving a slot. Do not assume a scheduling rule from another driver’s market applies to you.
2. Check the connection, app, and notifications
DoorDash’s app troubleshooting guide recommends checking connectivity and using the latest Dasher app version. If there is no indication of an outage, work through these basic checks:
- Test whether your phone can load another page or app.
- Check mobile data reception. If connected to unreliable Wi-Fi, try a working cellular connection.
- Check for a Dasher update in the official app store.
- If the app is unresponsive, close and reopen it; restart your phone if needed.
After a restart, look at the actual dash status. Do not assume that fixing a loading problem also resumed a paused session.
Missing alerts deserves its own check. DoorDash’s notification guidance says new-offer SMS messages have been replaced by Dasher push notifications. Review notification permissions and whether your phone is silencing those alerts. A missing text message does not establish that no offer was sent.
If the map appears to place you somewhere you are not, note that discrepancy for support and review the location access requested by the app. Changing a setting is useful when it resolves an identifiable issue; repeatedly toggling settings is not evidence of improved dispatch priority.
3. Look for signs of an outage before reinstalling
DoorDash lists repeated crashes, login trouble, inability to start or end a dash, malfunctioning pause controls, and missing completed-order earnings among possible outage indicators. One symptom can also have another cause, so do not diagnose a systemwide outage from a quiet inbox alone.
During an outage, DoorDash advises against resetting your password or uninstalling and reinstalling the app. Check official in-app communications or support for guidance. If you are already responsible for an accepted delivery, explain that to support before taking steps that could interrupt access to the order.
This is why an automatic “delete and reinstall” checklist is incomplete: the appropriate response depends on whether the issue is local to your phone or part of a wider service problem.
4. Reassess demand and where you are waiting
If the app functions normally and your dash is running, the issue may be the available work. DoorDash’s matching guidance says offer frequency depends on supply and demand as well as driver and delivery characteristics. There may not be enough suitable orders to keep every available driver busy.
DoorDash identifies lunch and dinner as commonly active periods in its guide to receiving more offers. Use that as a starting point, then compare it with your own market. A familiar restaurant may be busy with walk-in customers without providing the delivery opportunities you expected.
Why am I not getting orders in a hotspot?
A hotspot is a demand indicator, not an assigned order. DoorDash’s hotspot explanation distinguishes current activity from historical busy locations and confirms that offers can arrive outside the highlighted area.
Check whether the location offers several realistic pickup opportunities for your vehicle. Consider restaurant opening hours, parking or bike access, and the cost of repositioning. Waiting near one highlighted restaurant and waiting near a useful group of restaurants are different strategies worth comparing.
Choose a destination for a reason. Driving from hotspot to hotspot without a plan adds distance and time even if no delivery follows.
5. Review delivery preferences and the benefits shown in your account
DoorDash identifies vehicle, equipment, certifications, and enabled delivery types as matching considerations. Check that your settings accurately reflect the work you can perform. On a bicycle or e-bike, consider carrying capacity and practical range before enabling additional work types.
Rewards can also affect priority. DoorDash’s Overall Dasher Rating page describes benefits that vary by account and market, including priority access and Offer Boosts. It explicitly says priority does not guarantee offers. Being Platinum therefore does not rule out a quiet shift.
A gap after declining an offer does not, by itself, prove a hidden punishment timer. The public sources cited here do not establish a universal cooldown after a decline. Check the actual program requirements in your Ratings tab instead of trying to infer an account penalty from one stretch without work. Our DoorDash algorithm guide explains the published matching factors in more detail.
6. Contact support when the symptoms point to an account or technical problem
Contact official Dasher support when an account notice needs explanation, the app continues to malfunction, or a specific error persists after the relevant checks. Make your report easy to investigate:
- State your location or zone, the approximate time the problem began, and whether a dash is running.
- Describe whether you see no offers, missed notifications, crashes, or a particular error.
- Include your phone model, app version, and the checks you already tried.
- Save a screenshot of the relevant error, excluding unrelated customer or personal information.
For example: “My dash is running, but the app repeatedly freezes when I open it. This started around 6:15 p.m. Mobile data works in other apps, and reopening Dasher did not resolve it.” That gives support more to work with than “the algorithm stopped sending me orders.”
When should you move, wait, or end the shift?
There is no universal waiting period that guarantees an order will arrive next. Set your own review point before waiting indefinitely. For example, a 15- or 20-minute checkpoint can be a personal planning choice; it is not a DoorDash rule or dispatch threshold.
| Option | A practical reason to choose it |
|---|---|
| Wait until your next checkpoint | The app works, the location has useful pickup options, and you have a clear limit on further waiting. |
| Reposition once | You can identify a nearby, suitable restaurant group and justify the travel time and distance. |
| Stop or return later | Further unpaid time is no longer worthwhile, or an unresolved issue prevents you from working. |
Do not keep waiting just because you have already spent an hour there. That hour is gone; the next decision is about the additional time you are willing to commit. Likewise, a larger payout elsewhere is only helpful if it compensates for the travel and work required to earn it.
Record waiting time so your next decision is better informed
Consider a fictional session with 30 minutes waiting between offers and 90 minutes on accepted deliveries. You earn $42 gross. Dividing by active time gives $28 per hour, but dividing by the full two-hour work session gives $21 per hour before costs.
If those two hours also involve 20 miles and an illustrative $0.30-per-mile cost estimate, estimated distance costs are $6. That leaves $36, or $18 per total hour, before other expenses and taxes. The sample rate is not a recommended vehicle cost or a tax deduction rate.
A verified session with no earnings is also useful information. If you spent an hour available and waiting, record that work hour and $0 earnings rather than omitting the session. Exclude personal breaks consistently. See DoorDash Active Time vs. Dash Time for the distinction.
Drovm helps you save earnings, time, distance, and notes, then compare recorded shifts. It does not troubleshoot your Dasher account or create delivery demand. Use the earnings tracker guide to keep consistent records and the shift comparison guide to identify which sessions are worth trying again.
Sources reviewed October 31, 2026. App screens, program availability, and troubleshooting guidance can change. Follow the instructions shown for your account and use official Dasher support for account-specific issues.