Fix Uber Error 401 Unauthorized When Signing In (2025)

Updated: 12/1/2025

You open the Uber app, enter your email or phone and password, and instead of your trips page you see messages like 401 Unauthorized, login declined, or that you cannot use this account right now. You may even reinstall the app, but the same error keeps coming back and you cannot request a ride or see your driver dashboard. These 401 style errors usually mean Uber is rejecting your credentials, session, or account type, sometimes due to restrictions or temporary outages, not that your phone suddenly stopped working [web:128][web:131][web:134][web:137][web:140].

Method 1: Confirm Your Account Type, Credentials, And Status

Visit the Uber help pages in a browser and look for any signs that your rider or driver account has been deactivated or restricted, such as prompts to upload documents or messages that your profile does not align with current terms. If the account is restricted for policy reasons, 401 style errors will not disappear until Uber support finishes reviewing and lifting those flags [web:137].

Warning: Never share one time codes or full login details with anyone claiming to be Uber support in chats or calls, phishing attempts often start when people are already frustrated with login issues [web:137].

Method 2: Refresh The Uber App And Device Environment

Restart your phone to clear stuck processes, then try logging in first on your usual WiFi and, if that fails, on mobile data, in rare cases network side filters or temporary outages can block login steps. Uber documentation notes that some 401 style declines are tied to short lived service instability, so trying again after a short wait on a fresh connection can help [web:128][web:137].

Method 3: Fix 401 Errors When Using Uber APIs Or Third Party Apps

Implement token refresh logic according to Uber API guidelines so that when an access token expires you exchange a refresh token for a new one instead of retrying with invalid credentials. Continuing to send expired or malformed tokens can cause repeated 401 errors and might trigger additional rate or security limits [web:134][web:140].

HTTP 401 Unauthorized, "error": "invalid_client"