WhatsApp is probably one of the most important apps on their phone for many. That is why it can be extra frustrating if the app does not work properly or at all. What are you doing then? In this article we give some tips.
WhatsApp not working? You can do this!
Step 1: Check your internet connection
Maybe this time it is up to you.
Step 2: Update the app
An outdated app can lead to problems more quickly, and large-scale outages are more quickly resolved in newer versions.
Step 3: Reinstall WhatsApp
A bit of a rigorous measure, but it might work. Just make sure to back up all your chats and photos!
Step 4: Try an alternative
Is there a large-scale outage going on? Try a different app. Facebook Messenger (if it works), Signal, switch to Telegram, send a text message or drop by.
Step 5: Have a cup of coffee
Stretch out on the couch, put your phone away and grab a good book. There is a good chance that WhatsApp is working hard on a solution. You can also send that app in an hour.
WhatsApp down?
If you cannot connect to WhatsApp, you cannot send or receive messages. It could be that WhatsApp itself is down. You can check this on this website. If there is no problem with the service itself, there are a number of other things you can check.
Check internet connection
If you have a really bad (or no) internet connection, via mobile data or Wi-Fi, WhatsApp will lose its connection to the servers, preventing you from sending or receiving messages.
If you are using WiFi, make sure that this connection actually provides internet access. You can disconnect and reconnect your WiFi connection to see if this helps. If necessary, connect to another network, if one is available.
If you are using mobile data, make sure this feature has not been accidentally turned off. Also check in the settings of WhatsApp itself and those of your phone whether WhatsApp has permission to use mobile data. If you have a bad signal, it could also mean that your data connection is not good enough to use WhatsApp.
Also check whether you have not by chance exceeded your data limit. If so, apps (including WhatsApp) will no longer be able to use your mobile data.
Also make sure you are unsubscribed from WhatsApp Web. To do this, go to within WhatsApp Settings and tap WhatsApp Web / Desktop. Here you can unsubscribe on all devices. This will sometimes help.
To update
Sometimes WhatsApp will not work (properly) if you do not have a certain update. Make sure both your operating system and WhatsApp itself are updated. This is especially important if you are running WhatsApp on a tablet or other Android device for which WhatsApp is not available in the Google Play Store.
If you have an Android phone, you can check Google Play to see if updates are available for WhatsApp. In Google Play, press the hamburger menu at the top left of the screen and select My apps. Go to the tab Installed to check for available updates.
Do you have a iPhone, then go to the App Store and hit it Updatesicon at the bottom right of the screen. Also check immediately for updates for iOS itself, as WhatsApp recommends running the app on the latest version of iOS.
Reinstall
Are you really unable to get WhatsApp working at all? Then it is best to remove the app from your device and install it again. If you want to keep your WhatsApp messages, you will need to back them up first.
If you are using Google Drive, this is the easiest way to back up WhatsApp. Go to Settings / Chats and choose Chat backup. Make a backup here so that the most recent messages are included immediately. Choose Back up to Google Drive and indicate to which Google Drive account you want to upload the backup.
It can also pay off to turn your phone on and off. This sounds like an open door, but it is a tip that turns out to work surprisingly often.
Alternatives to WhatsApp
In more urgent cases, you are not waiting for a solution, but for finding an answer to your WhatsApp messages. In that case, you can always resort to alternatives, such as a text message. You can also (if necessary) temporarily switch to safer WhatsApp alternatives such as Telegram or Signal.
Put your phone away
Secretly, this is of course the ideal time for a digital mini-detox. Get rid of that phone, being unavailable for a while is not that bad at all. Send your most important messages via SMS, but then sit back on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book. Not bad, right, such a moment for yourself?
Support
It may also be that your device no longer supports WhatsApp. Since February 1, 2020, WhatsApp no ​​longer works properly on some devices. Devices running on iOS 8 or Android version 2.3.7 can then no longer use the app.
It concerns the following devices:
- iPhone 4
- Sony Xperia Advance
- Acer Liquid Z Duo Z110
- Acer Liquid Z Z110
- Lenovo K800
- T-Mobile Concord
- Sony Xperia U ST25a
- Sony Xperia U ST25i
- Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G SCH-R940
- Yezz Andy 3G 4.0 YZ1120
- Motorola Defy Pro XT560
- Sony Xperia Go ST27a
- Sony Xperia Go ST27i
- Huawei Activa 4G M920
- Motorola Atrix TV XT682
- Sony Xperia ion 3G LT28h
- Sony Xperia ion LTE LT28at
- Sony Xperia ion LTE LT28i
- Orange San Diego
- Vodafone Smart II V860
- Sony Xperia Sola MT27i
- Samsung Galaxy S2 LTE GT-i9210T
- Sony Xperia P LT22i
- LG Optimus 3D Max P720
- LG Optimus 3D Max P720H
- LG Optimus 3D Max P725
- LG Optimus Elite LS696
- Sony Xperia acro HD SOI12
- Xolo X900
- Sony Xperia acro HD SO-03D
- Sony Xperia S LT26i
- LG Spectrum VS920
- Motorola MotoLuxe XT615
- HTC Velocity 4G
- LG Prada 3.0 P940
- Motorola Fire XT317
- Motorola XT532
- Samsung Galaxy S2 LTE GT-i9210
.