If you are not getting Uber Eats orders, start by separating an access problem from an offer problem. An app that will not let you go online needs a different response from one that stays online but receives no requests. Offers that arrive but do not meet your earnings target are a third situation.
Work through the checks below before spending more time or miles searching for a fix. A quiet afternoon is frustrating, but it is not enough evidence to conclude that Uber has penalized your account.
What is happening in your Driver app?
| What you see | What to check first |
|---|---|
| You cannot go online | Read the blocker, account notices, document status, and any local access requirements. |
| You are online with no requests | Check delivery preferences, connection, approved city, and nearby demand. |
| Trip Radar appears but you do not match | Distinguish requesting a match from receiving an assignment. |
| Requests arrive but look unprofitable | Review the time, location, and costs of your shift; the app is receiving offers. |
1. Confirm that you can actually go online
Uber’s unable-to-go-online guidance recommends tapping the blocker on the app’s home screen. It can identify a specific requirement or account issue. Check the app inbox and your email for notices about pending or expired documents or an account hold.
If the app asks you to resolve something, address that requirement through its official process. Driving to another restaurant will not fix a document review. Capture the exact message if you need support; “cannot go online” is more useful than “not getting orders” when those are different symptoms.
For a new account, confirm activation rather than assuming that installing the app completes onboarding. Uber’s delivery signup guide explains that requests become available after activation, with requirements depending on your transportation mode. Make sure your account accurately reflects how you deliver.
2. Check whether Planner or zone access applies
In participating U.S. cities, Uber’s Planner program lets eligible couriers reserve access to go online. Under the published arrangement, Green and Gold couriers need a reservation for gray, at-capacity zones, while red, orange, and yellow zones allow them to go online without one. Platinum and Diamond couriers do not need reservations in that program.
These rules are market-specific. Check your own app rather than applying another city’s screenshots to your account. If a reserved period ends and enough couriers are already online, Uber says the app may take you offline.
A reservation guarantees access during the eligible period, not a personal stream of deliveries. If the app still shows you online, an empty offer screen requires the next checks too. Do not mistake the offline zone-access map for the merchant heatmap used to locate busy stores.
3. Make sure delivery requests are enabled
Uber’s delivery-preferences instructions direct couriers to Preferences and then Trip Filters to confirm that Deliveries are active. If you are adding delivery to an existing passenger-driver account, the guide points to Account → Work hub for onboarding.
Menu wording can change. Look for the delivery option available to your account, especially after changing vehicles or work preferences. Enabling passenger rides is not the same thing as enabling food delivery.
Review only delivery types you are eligible and equipped to complete. On a bicycle or e-bike, the prospect of more requests does not make every shopping load or route practical. If the correct mode or delivery option is missing, ask support to check your account setup.
4. Rule out a connection or app problem
Uber’s no-delivery-requests checklist recommends checking data or Wi-Fi, restarting the phone, using the latest app version, and confirming that you are in the city where you are activated to deliver.
While safely stopped, check whether the map shows your current location and whether the app displays a connection warning. A phone can appear connected to Wi-Fi even when that network needs a sign-in. Test a working connection before attributing the silence to dispatch.
If requests appear visually but you never hear them, review phone volume and notification settings. That is a different problem from receiving no requests at all. After troubleshooting, confirm you are still online. Reopening the app is a connection check, not a documented way to move ahead in a delivery queue.
5. Evaluate demand without chasing every hotspot
Uber’s no-requests guidance says demand varies with location, time of day, and season. If the basic checks pass, low demand is one possible explanation.
The delivery heatmap highlights busy restaurants and stores and refreshes every ten minutes. Uber says being near a hotspot may shorten the wait; it does not promise an immediate request. A red area is a demand signal, not a reserved order for you.
Use that information alongside your own experience. A nearby cluster of open merchants may be a more practical test than a distant isolated restaurant. Account for the travel back if moving leaves you far from your preferred area.
More available couriers relative to requests could also contribute to longer waits, but you cannot measure that balance from a quiet screen alone. Nor does seeing another courier collect an order prove that both accounts were eligible for the same trip.
6. Understand what acceptance rate can—and cannot—explain
It is too broad to say acceptance rate never matters. Uber’s current Uber Eats Pro program uses acceptance rate alongside other criteria in participating markets. Gold, Platinum, and Diamond status can provide priority for higher-paying restaurant deliveries through Preferred Deliveries. Review your own Pro hub for applicable requirements.
That published benefit does not establish that every rejected offer causes a period without requests. Uber also states in its Planner guidance that priority access does not guarantee higher earnings or a particular number of requests.
Do not accept an unsuitable trip solely to test a supposed account “reset.” Evaluate the work and any local status benefits together. A change in your results after accepting one order cannot, by itself, prove that acceptance caused the change.
7. Separate Trip Radar from Exclusive requests
If you can see Trip Radar offers, you are seeing opportunities, even when you do not receive a match. Uber’s delivery-specific Radar explanation says multiple couriers can see an offer. Matching considers factors such as merchant proximity and estimated delivery times; it is not simply awarded to the first person who taps.
An unmatched result is not the same as an app failure. Wait for assignment confirmation before heading to the pickup. Our Uber Eats Trip Radar guide explains how Match differs from accepting an Exclusive request.
How long should you wait before moving or stopping?
There is no universal waiting limit that proves an account is broken. Set a practical review point based on your time budget. For example, you might reassess after 15–20 minutes without a suitable offer. That is a planning choice, not an Uber rule or a promised dispatch interval.
At that point, choose deliberately: stay because the location usually performs well, make one justified move, or end the session. Repeatedly circling adds distance without telling you whether demand improved. E-bike riders should include battery use and the ride home in that decision.
If you use another delivery app while waiting, manage accepted work carefully. Our multi-apping vs double delivering guide explains the difference between looking for work on multiple apps and taking overlapping delivery commitments.
When to contact Uber support
Contact support when an explicit blocker remains unresolved, settings appear incorrect, or the absence of requests persists after basic checks. Uber’s no-requests support page asks you to be online so it can investigate that issue; if you cannot go online, use the access-problem route instead.
Provide the city, vehicle mode, dates and times affected, exact error text, app version, and checks already completed. Explain whether you see no offers, only Radar offers, or offers that disappear without a match. These details help describe a reproducible problem rather than an assumed algorithm explanation.
Track whether a change improves your actual earnings
Compare similar weekdays and time windows across several sessions. Record finalized earnings, deliveries, total time, active time, distance, and notes about your location or technical problems. Change one factor at a time when practical.
For example, $24 earned during one active hour within a two-hour online session is $12 per online hour before expenses. Ignoring the waiting hour hides the issue you are trying to solve. See Uber Eats active time vs. online time for that distinction.
Drovm helps you compare recorded shifts using earnings, time, and distance. Use your history to identify productive sessions and costly waiting patterns. The goal is a better return on your work period, not simply a busier phone.
Sources reviewed November 1, 2026. This guide focuses on U.S. Uber Eats delivery. Features, eligibility, and access rules vary by city and account. Timing and earnings examples are illustrative.