Troubleshooting Subscriber Exchange
This page covers the problems that are not tied to one channel or one ad: opening the exchange page, connecting Telegram, pauses and account holds, and messages that do not arrive. Find the message you see, or the thing that is not working.
Two other pages hold the rest. For enrolling a channel, reviewing, refusing and credits, see Troubleshooting hosting in the exchange. For the ad builder, payment, the states of an ad, appeals and swaps, see Troubleshooting your exchange ads.
Opening the exchange page
These problems appear when you open the exchange page, before you reach the Hub, or when the page loses its connection while you work.
The sign-in page opens instead of the exchange
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Where you see it:
The website, when you open the exchange page. The page may show "Loading the exchange…" for a moment first.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
You are not signed in on this device, or you were signed out after a period of inactivity.
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How to fix it:
Sign in, then open the exchange page again. Nothing in the exchange changed while you were signed out: your channels keep hosting and your ads keep running.
"The exchange is briefly unavailable"
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Where you see it:
The website, in place of the Hub, with the line "We couldn't reach the exchange just now. Please try again in a moment." and a Retry button. While the page is still waiting for an answer, it shows "Loading the exchange…".
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The page could not load your exchange details. The usual cause is a weak connection; less often the service is briefly down.
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How to fix it:
Press Retry, which reloads the page. If it fails again, check your connection and try once more after a minute. Nothing was changed, and ads and placements already running carry on. If the message stays for a long time, contact support at
https://onflowads.com/support.
"The Subscriber Exchange is unavailable right now"
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Where you see it:
The website, as a banner at the top of the Hub. It reads "The Subscriber Exchange is not taking new ads right now. Ads already running carry on. Please try again later." The same sentence appears if you press the submit button in the ad builder.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The Onflow Ads team has paused new ads in the exchange for a while. It is not about your account.
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How to fix it:
Wait and try again later. Nothing was charged. Ads that are already running continue, and the ad builder keeps what you wrote so you can submit it when the banner is gone.
"No connection — check your network and try again."
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Where you see it:
The website, on any button of the exchange page.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Your device was offline when you pressed the button, so the request was never sent.
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How to fix it:
Check your Wi-Fi or mobile data, then press the same button again. Nothing was sent, saved or charged by the failed attempt.
"Please sign in to continue."
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Where you see it:
The website, on any action, after the exchange page has been open for a long time.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
You were signed out while the page was open.
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How to fix it:
Sign in again and reopen the exchange page. Nothing was changed. An ad you were building is kept as a draft on this device, so you can continue where you stopped.
Connecting your Telegram account
The exchange posts through @OnflowAdsBot, so your Onflow Ads account must be connected to your Telegram account before anything else works. The full steps are in Getting started with the Subscriber Exchange.
"First, connect your Telegram"
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Where you see it:
The website. It is the only card on the exchange page. If you press a button in a tab that was opened before Telegram was disconnected, the message is "Connect your Telegram account to use the exchange."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Your account has no Telegram account connected. Either you never connected one, or it was disconnected later.
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How to fix it:
- Press Connect Telegram. The bot opens in Telegram.
- In Telegram, press Start.
- Read the account shown in the bot's message "Connect this Telegram?". If it is yours, press Yes, connect it.
- Return to the exchange page. It says "Connected." and opens the Hub by itself.
Nothing is lost while Telegram is disconnected. Your channels and ads reappear as soon as you connect again.
"Could not start linking. Try again."
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Where you see it:
The website, under the Connect Telegram button. Two other lines can appear in the same place: "Sign in to continue." if you were signed out in the meantime, and "Telegram linking isn't configured yet." if connecting is switched off for the moment.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The page could not create your connection link this time.
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How to fix it:
Wait a minute, then press Connect Telegram again. If the page asks you to sign in, sign in first and reopen the exchange page. If connecting is not available yet, try again later; it is not about your account. No connection was made by the failed attempt.
Telegram did not open after you pressed Connect Telegram
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Where you see it:
The website. The line under the button changes from "Opening Telegram…" to "In Telegram, tap Start, then “Yes, connect it”. This page will continue automatically…", but no new tab or app appears.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Your browser blocked the new tab, or the Telegram app did not take over the link.
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How to fix it:
Press the link "Telegram didn’t open? Open it here" under the button. Your connection link is already waiting; you do not need to start again. Then press Start and Yes, connect it in the bot.
"Still not connected. Reopen the link and tap Start."
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Where you see it:
The website, under the Connect Telegram button, after the page has waited for you for a while.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The page did not receive your confirmation. Most often the bot was opened but one of the two presses was missed: Start, then Yes, connect it.
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How to fix it:
Press Connect Telegram again and complete both presses in the bot. Keep the exchange page open while you do it; it continues by itself when the connection is made.
"Link expired"
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Where you see it:
The bot, after you press Start or Yes, connect it. The message says "This Telegram connection link has expired or was already used." An old confirmation button shows the pop-up "That button has expired." instead.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
A connection link works once and for a short time only. This one was opened too late, or it had already been used.
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How to fix it:
Go back to the exchange page and press Connect Telegram to get a fresh link, then finish both presses in the bot straight away. Nothing was connected by the expired link.
"Already connected elsewhere"
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Where you see it:
The bot, after you press Yes, connect it. The message says "This Telegram is already linked to a different Onflow Ads account."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
One Telegram account pairs with exactly one Onflow Ads account, and this Telegram account already belongs to another one.
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How to fix it:
Sign in to the Onflow Ads account that this Telegram account is connected to, and use the exchange there. To move the connection instead, press Contact support in the bot. Send the email address of both Onflow Ads accounts and your Telegram @username.
"Account already linked"
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Where you see it:
The bot, after you press Yes, connect it. The message says "That Onflow Ads account is already connected to a different Telegram."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Your Onflow Ads account is already paired with another Telegram account, and it can have only one.
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How to fix it:
Open Telegram with the account that is already connected, and use that one. If you no longer have access to it, press Contact support in the bot. Send your Onflow Ads email address and the @username of both Telegram accounts.
"Could not connect"
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Where you see it:
The bot, after you press Yes, connect it. The message says "Something went wrong while connecting your Telegram."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The connection failed for a reason that has nothing to do with your account. Nothing was connected.
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How to fix it:
Return to the exchange page and press Connect Telegram again to get a fresh link. If the same message comes back, see Troubleshooting Telegram bot.
Reliability, pauses and account holds
These messages close part of the exchange to your whole account, not to one channel or one ad. Each one names what is closed and, where there is an end time, shows it on screen. For the rules behind them, see Subscriber Exchange rules and fair play.
"Your reliability is below the floor"
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Where you see it:
The website, as a banner on the Hub with a See my reliability button. The banner names the minimum score and your score. Other places say the same thing in other words: the tooltip of the Reliability pill begins "Below the exchange floor of", and a refused action answers "The Subscriber Exchange needs a reliability score of at least the minimum shown/10 — yours is your score/10. Honour your placements to earn it back."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Your reliability score is under the minimum the exchange asks for. Reliability is your track record across Onflow Ads, out of 10.
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How to fix it:
Press See my reliability to read what lowered the score. Then keep every ad you host in place for its full 24 hours; that is what earns the score back. No fee and no plan lifts this. Ads that are already approved keep running, and you can still cancel an ad, refuse an ad in your channel or leave with a channel. See Your reliability score and appeals.
"You can’t start anything new for now"
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Where you see it:
The website, with a pill that reads Reliability, when you press Add a channel or Create an ad.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
It is the same hold as "Your reliability is below the floor". While your score is under the minimum, you cannot enrol another channel or submit another ad.
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How to fix it:
Press See my reliability to read what lowered the score. Then keep every ad you host in place for its full 24 hours; that is what earns the score back. Nothing you already have is stopped: approved ads keep running, and Cancel, Refuse and Leave stay open to you.
"Your exchange is paused"
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Where you see it:
The website, as a banner at the top of the Hub. It says a hosting promise in your channel was broken, and it names the time the pause ends. On an ad of yours, Why? shows a step called "Account standing" with the same time.
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Plans affected:
Every plan. Lite and above have free passes for accidental early removals; see "A free early-removal pass was not used" on this page.
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Why it happens:
An ad your channel was hosting came down before its 24 hours were up, or the bot lost the permissions it needs in your channel. Until the time shown, your account can neither host ads nor run its own.
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How to fix it:
- Read the end time on the banner. The pause lifts by itself at that time. Leaving and enrolling a channel again does not shorten it.
- If the bot was removed or its permissions were reduced, make it an administrator of your channel again, with permission to post and to delete messages.
- From now on, never delete a hosted ad by hand. Use Refuse instead; see Refusing an ad your channel is hosting.
- If you think the decision is wrong, press the Reliability pill to read the decision, and appeal from there. See Appealing a penalty or a decision.
The banner also shows your strike count. When the count reaches the limit shown, your channels are paused as well. Each channel row then shows Suspended, and the channels return to the exchange on their own.
Lite plan · The Hub on a phone while the exchange is paused after an early removal This is what the Hub looks like during a pause. 1 The banner heading "Your exchange is paused". 2 The banner text: both hosting and running ads are closed until the time in bold, followed by your strike count. 3 The Reliability pill; press it to read the decision and to appeal.
"The exchange is paused on this account until the date shown after a rule break."
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Where you see it:
The website, when you submit an ad. The message continues "You can see why, and appeal, on your reliability page."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
A decision about a broken rule has paused the exchange for your account until the date and time in the message.
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How to fix it:
Open your reliability page to read the decision. Appeal there if you disagree. Otherwise submit the ad again after the date shown. The ad was not submitted and nothing was charged.
"Your account is under review while an open fraud concern is resolved."
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Where you see it:
The website, when you enrol a channel or submit an ad. The message continues "You can finish anything already in progress, but can't start a new deal until it's cleared — see your reliability page."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The Onflow Ads team is reviewing your account. Until the review closes you cannot start anything new, and the AI tools in the ad builder are paused as well.
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How to fix it:
Open your reliability page and read what is open. If the team has asked you for anything, reply to that request. Placements that are already running are not touched. There is nothing else to do until the review closes.
"Your wallet is the amount shown overdrawn."
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Where you see it:
The website, when you press Join the exchange for a channel or submit an ad. The message goes on to say that a top-up clears it and unlocks your account. If the debt is overdue, it adds that the time to clear it has passed.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Your wallet balance is below zero. An account that owes money cannot start anything new in the exchange.
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How to fix it:
Open Wallet and top up at least the amount the message names, then try again. Nothing was started or charged by the refused attempt. Clearing an overdrawn wallet explains how a wallet goes below zero and how it is cleared.
"This device has an unpaid balance"
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Where you see it:
The website, when you press Join the exchange or submit an ad. These are the opening words; the message names the amount and says it is owed on another Onflow Ads account.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The message says that money is owed on another Onflow Ads account. Opening a new account does not clear a debt.
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How to fix it:
Sign in to the account that owes the money and top up its wallet. Everything on this account then unlocks. If you think the message is wrong, contact support and say so: it can be reversed. See Clearing an overdrawn wallet.
A free early-removal pass was not used
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Where you see it:
The bot and the website. You expected a hosted ad that came down early to be forgiven, but the message records a strike. It may include the line "Your plan's passes were all used this cycle, so this one counted."
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Plans affected:
Lite and above. Free has no passes.
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Why it happens:
A pass covers an accidental early removal only. It is not used when your passes for this cycle are already spent, when your account was already paused, or when the bot lost its permissions in your channel.
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How to fix it:
Check the Hub line that begins "Your plan forgives"; it shows how many passes you have left this cycle. The line is hidden while your exchange is paused. If the message describes something that did not happen, appeal from your reliability page. See Subscriber Exchange plans and limits for the passes on each plan.
A message says no further strike was added
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Where you see it:
The bot and your notifications on the website, in a message about a hosted ad that came down early. The line ends "so no further strike was added".
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
That early removal is already covered by a strike you were told about, so this message adds nothing to your strike count.
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How to fix it:
There is nothing to fix for this message. Restore the bot's permissions if they were changed, and keep hosted ads in place for their full 24 hours from now on.
Messages from the bot and by email
The exchange tells you what happened in Telegram, by email and on your Notifications page. The list of every message is in Subscriber Exchange messages and emails.
No Telegram messages arrive while your ads run
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Where you see it:
Telegram. Your channels host ads and your own ad runs, but @OnflowAdsBot stays silent.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
You blocked the bot or never pressed Start in it, or the Telegram switch for exchange messages is off.
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How to fix it:
- Open @OnflowAdsBot in Telegram. Unblock it if it is blocked, then press Start.
- Open Notifications on the website. If it says "Your Telegram is linked, but the bot can't message you yet.", go back to the bot and press Start.
- In the Marketplace row, switch on the control in the Telegram column. Exchange messages belong to that row.
The exchange kept working while the messages were off. Earlier notices from the website are still listed on the Notifications page.
An email arrived but no Telegram message, or the other way round
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Where you see it:
Your inbox and Telegram, when you compare the two.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Email and Telegram have separate switches. Some messages also use one route only. The bot's own reports about each placement come in Telegram without an email. "Your exchange ad is in review" and "Your channel joined the Subscriber Exchange" have no email either.
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How to fix it:
Open Notifications and look at the Marketplace row. Switch on Email, Telegram or both. A message that uses one route only is not missing; it was never sent the other way.
Emails arrive late, in a roundup
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Where you see it:
Your inbox. Several exchange emails arrive together, some time after the events.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
Email frequency on your Notifications page is set to an hourly or daily digest, so ordinary emails are collected into one.
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How to fix it:
Open Notifications and set Email frequency to "Send each email right away". The emails that tell you an ad paused, resumed, started or could not start are sent at once, whatever you choose here.
Two messages about the same placement show different times
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Where you see it:
Telegram. A report about a placement and a later message about a decision on it show times that do not match.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The two messages are written in different time zones. Each message prints its time zone next to the time.
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How to fix it:
Read the time zone printed beside each time and convert one to the other before you compare them. If you report the placement to support, copy both times exactly as they are printed.
"That link has expired"
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Where you see it:
The bot, after someone taps a button on an old exchange ad post in a channel.
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Plans affected:
Every plan, and readers who have no Onflow Ads account.
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Why it happens:
The post is an old one, and the ad or the button behind it no longer exists. If the destination is still available, the bot answers "Here is your link" with one button instead.
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How to fix it:
Nothing needs fixing. When the bot answers "Here is your link", press the button under it. Buttons on current ads open their destination directly, without going through the bot.
"AI insights now live on onflowads.com — open your dashboard there."
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Where you see it:
The bot, as a pop-up when you tap an AI button on an old exchange message.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The AI tools for the exchange moved from the bot to the website. Old messages still carry the button.
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How to fix it:
Use the tools in the ad builder on the website. See AI tools in the exchange ad builder.
Messages that can appear on any action
These messages are not about one feature. They can appear after any button on the exchange page. Unless the card says otherwise, the action did not go through, nothing was changed and nothing was charged.
"Too many attempts. Please wait a minute and try again."
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Where you see it:
The website, after pressing the same kind of button many times in a short period. It can appear when you check or enrol a channel, save settings, upload a file, submit, cancel, appeal, or use an AI tool. Under the Connect Telegram button the wording is "Too many attempts. Please wait a few minutes and try again."
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The page limits how often an action can be repeated.
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How to fix it:
Stop pressing the button. If another message told you what was wrong, fix that first. Then wait and try once. The wait can be longer than the minute the message mentions, so if it appears again, leave it for a while before the next attempt.
"This feature is temporarily unavailable. Please try again shortly."
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Where you see it:
The website, on any action. The message may also name what could not be reached.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
A part of the service that this action needs is down for a short time.
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How to fix it:
Try again a little later. Nothing was changed by the failed attempt, and your ads and hosted placements are not affected.
"The site is busy right now and this did not go through. Please try again in a moment."
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Where you see it:
The website, on any action.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The site was briefly too busy to handle the request.
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How to fix it:
Wait a moment and press the button again. The first attempt did nothing, so pressing again cannot repeat a charge.
"Something went wrong on our side and this did not go through. Nothing was changed."
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Where you see it:
The website, on any action. The message ends by asking you to quote a reference if you tell us about it.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
An unexpected fault on our side stopped the action.
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How to fix it:
Try once more. If it happens again, contact support and send the reference from the message, the button you pressed, and the Campaign ID or Channel ID shown on the row.
A short refusal appears after the page sat open for a long time
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Where you see it:
The website. A brief line such as "That delivery option isn’t available." appears, or an option you chose is no longer accepted. Other lines of this kind are "Unsupported ad mode.", "Unsupported body format.", "Unsupported media type.", "Topics must be a list.", "Review ads must be on or off.", "That number of extra drops isn’t valid." and "The blocklist must be a list of @usernames.", and lines that say a targeting value must be a list or that an hour must be between 0 and 23. A value the page cannot use is answered with "A number, date or piece of text in this request is not one we can use (too large, or not a real date), so it did not go through." If an ad of yours was turned away some time ago because the exchange was too small, the Hub may still show a card about it. The card is labelled "Waiting for the pool" or "The pool is ready". No ad was created at that time. Press the button on the card to build the ad again; it is then saved and starts by itself.
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Plans affected:
Every plan.
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Why it happens:
The page was showing old information. It sat open for a long time, the same button was pressed twice, or something changed in another tab or on another device.
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How to fix it:
- Reload the exchange page.
- Open the form again and choose the options from the lists the page offers now.
- Press the button once.
Nothing was charged and nothing was changed by the refused attempt. If the same line returns on a freshly loaded page, copy it exactly and send it to support.
Still stuck?
The fastest way to reach support is https://onflowads.com/support, which opens the support chat whether you are signed in or not. Include these four things so the first answer can be a useful one:
- What you were doing, and on which view: Hub, My channels or My advertisements.
- The exact message, copied word for word, including any reference it asks you to quote.
- The Campaign ID or Channel ID shown on the row.
- The time it happened, with your time zone.
For the other ways to get help, see Help and support overview.
Related
More help for the exchange and for the things these cards point to.