Issue: Blocking Loader on Initial Website Load

[Divwardhan]

It feels like a regression in the user experience to require a full-page loader before reaching the typing test.

Currently, when logged into an account, the website displays a loading screen for several seconds while retrieving user data. In my experience, this takes around 3–4 seconds and delays access to the core functionality of the site.

Monkeytype's appeal has always been its fast and seamless experience. Being forced to wait on a loader before being able to type makes the site feel noticeably less responsive, to the point where I've considered switching to alternative typing websites.

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Suggested Solution

Load non-essential account data asynchronously instead of blocking access to the typing interface.

A possible flow could be:

1. Open the typing test immediately.
2. Fetch profile/account data in the background.
3. If the data is still unavailable when a test ends, display a loader only at that point if necessary.
4. Continue using loaders when the user explicitly opens profile, statistics, or other account-related pages.

This would preserve the smooth "open and start typing instantly" experience while still allowing account data to be loaded when needed.

[fehmer]

can you share your settings please. There was no change on how we load data. so it might be related to your settings.

Go to https://monkeytype.com/settings?highlight=importExport and click export

[Divwardhan]

Hi, I've attached a screenshot of the loader I'm referring to. This screen appears on every page reload and consistently delays access to the typing test by roughly 3–4 seconds while displaying "Downloading user data...". I should also mention that I haven't modified any settings. I simply signed in using Google, and this behavior was present by default immediately after logging in. As far as I'm aware, no custom configuration on my end should be causing this. From my perspective, the issue is not the existence of the loader itself, but that it blocks access to the typing interface. Since the typing test is the site's primary functionality, I expect it to be available immediately, with account/profile data loading asynchronously in the background. I've also attached the exported settings JSON you requested so you can verify whether any particular setting might be contributing to the behavior. Thanks for looking into it. [image: image.png]

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On Tue, Jun 23, 2026 at 3:25 PM Christian Fehmer ***@***.***> wrote: can you share your settings please. There was no change on how we load data. so it might be related to your settings. Go to https://monkeytype.com/settings?highlight=importExport and click export — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#8145?email_source=notifications&email_token=BBQWNMMXKLG2ONAWEW4EIFT5BJHZZA5CNFSNUABIM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2ENFZWG5LTONUW63SDN5WW2ZLOOQXTCNZUGA2TMNZYUZZGKYLTN5XKMYLVORUG64VFMV3GK3TUVRTG633UMVZF6Y3MNFRWW#discussioncomment-17405678>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BBQWNMPMJMBI2V6DHH4NDAD5BJHZZAVCNFSNUABIKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHMZDMMZZHAZTQNJVHNCGS43DOVZXG2LPNY5TCMBTGA2DMOBZUF3AE> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.*** com>

[Divwardhan]

monkey.json

[insertokname]

Hello!

I posted this question about the same "issue" here: #7971

I agree with @Divwardhan (and as stated #7971) that background fetching or maybe serving stale data for a few seconds would be much better than a blocking loading bar

[Divwardhan]

@fehmer Can this be converted to an issue or is it something wrong on my end ?