Have a problem with WhatsApp? Here are the solutions

If the installation went smoothly, but the automatically generated message with your activation code never comes through, first ensure you entered your number correctly. Double-check that you chose the right country from the drop-down list. This is the country your phone number is from, not necessarily the country you reside in.

If you still do not receive the code, try requesting a voice call. This way you will have the code read to you by a computer over the phone.

Remember, you have to have a SIM card to register for WhatsApp. Also, you can only use one device per phone number.

WhatsApp connection problems are usually caused by your Wi-Fi or network data connection. If you aren’t able to send a message, here are a few solutions:

• Make sure your phone is switched on (one for the newbies)
• Install the latest version of the app from the Play Store (link above)
• Check your internet connection, Wi-Fi, or 5G (in Settings > Wireless and Network)
• Make sure that a Task Killer app isn’t affecting WhatsApp
• Empty the app cache (Settings > Applications > WhatsApp > Clear Cache)
• Finally, the most extreme solution: uninstall the app and then reinstall it

On Android

There are a few reasons why WhatsApp wouldn’t recognize your contacts, so here is a simple checklist to make sure it does:

• Make sure you have the correct contact numbers (the ones they use for WhatsApp).
• Make sure that they are currently using WhatsApp.
• Make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp.
• If your contact is using a foreign phone number, make sure the number is stored on your phone using the full international format with the country code.
• Make sure you have granted WhatsApp permission to access your contacts.

Note: WhatsApp no longer gives you an option called ‘Show all contacts’ which used to be a troubleshooting step on older versions.

On iOS/ iPhone

If you can’t see contacts while using WhatsApp on iPhone, try these steps:

First, you need to ensure that you have granted WhatsApp access to your contacts. Here’s how you can do that.

1. Open Settings and then tap Privacy.
2. Tap on Contacts. 
3. Make sure WhatsApp is turned on.

In case you see that WhatsApp is grayed out (or if it doesn’t appear in privacy settings at all), you need to try these steps:

1. Open Settings and then tap Screen Time.
2. Go to Content and Privacy Restrictions and make sure that WhatsApp does not have any restrictions.

If these steps do not work, you might have to reset your iPhone.

Note that even if you do not provide WhatsApp access to your contacts, you will still be able to send and receive messages and change WhatsApp settings. You will not be able to see the contact names (just their phone numbers). You can also start new groups and broadcast lists.

In case some contacts are missing on iOS, here are some more steps:

• For international numbers, make sure you have saved their contact in the correct international format.
• If you are using iOS version 11.3 or above along with a Microsoft Exchange account, make sure your account administrator allows WhatsApp or other apps to access your contacts.
• An alternative would be to copy your Exchange contacts into your phone’s address book or iCloud.

The Last Seen timestamp tells you when a user was last using WhatsApp. This does not necessarily mean that they have read your messages, only that they opened the application.

When you are in WhatsApp and one of your contacts also opens it, you will see their status change to ‘Online’, but again, this doesn’t mean they are looking at your messages, just that they are using WhatsApp.

If you are unable to see the Last Seen timestamp in a conversation, it could be for a number of reasons. If you have disabled your Last Seen time in Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen, then you won’t be able to see other people’s Last Seen times, either.

If the problem is only with one or some contacts, then it might mean that they have disabled the Last Seen time in their WhatsApp settings. If they are still receiving and responding to your messages, this is almost certainly the case.

The final reason is that a contact has blocked you. If your messages never get past the one gray tick, then this makes it more certain that you have been blocked. If you can’t see changes to the contact’s profile either, then you have certainly been blocked. Sorry to break it to you.

If you are experiencing poor quality voice calls, dropouts, or you can’t make or receive calls, it is almost certainly related to your connection. Voice calls are carried out over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Ensure your connection is strong. If you are using mobile data, you will need at least 3G. Perhaps also try disconnecting and reconnecting to the network. The problem might not even be on your end: the person you are talking with will also need to ensure they have a good connection.

This could be related to the proximity sensor that WhatsApp relies on. It is found near the front-facing camera on your phone and detects when you are holding your phone to your ear. If the sensor is activated, audio will play through the ear speaker very quietly. Ensure you keep your phone away from your face, and the audio should play through the normal speaker. Check to make sure the volume is turned up as well.

Head to Settings > Data usage and see if you only have media auto-downloads enabled when you are on Wi-Fi. If they are, you will either need to connect to a Wi-Fi network or enable auto-downloads on mobile data and/or when roaming.

The fallback, as is often the case, is to restart your router if you are on Wi-Fi and to restart your phone, as well.

The way this is done has changed. Long press on the image in the chat that you want to share, and at the top-right of the page, a right-facing arrow will appear. Press on this, and you can select the contact you want to share the image with.

First, lock your SIM card by contacting your carrier. This should always be your first step. Once this is done, WhatsApp can no longer be activated on that device. Once you have a new SIM (presumably with the same number) you can reactivate WhatsApp on your new phone.

At times it may happen that you will receive a notification from WhatsApp stating: “You may have new messages”. You might be puzzled by this rather vague and cryptic message, especially when you open WhatsApp and don’t see any new notifications. The explanation is quite simple! WhatsApp uses push notifications to inform you of messages but uses a different channel to deliver the actual message.

If you are in an area with a bad or low data / Wi-Fi connection, the network will be able to deliver the push notification but not the actual message. This problem occasionally occurs when you turn on the data saver mode on your smartphone. Now there might be an actual problem with WhatsApp that could cause this notification to pop up, but it’s most likely related to a bad data connection.

If you can’t send or receive WhatsApp messages, then the cause is usually a bad internet connection. But if you are positive that your phone is connected to the Internet, then try troubleshooting with the following steps:

If you are having other problems with WhatsApp that aren’t listed here, you might as well try these generic fixes.

Download the latest version of WhatsApp

In case you haven’t turned auto-updating on, WhatsApp could act up if you are using a really old version. Make sure you are always on the newest version of Android. You can check if you are on the newest version by simply opening the Google Play Store and searching for WhatsApp. If you are not on the newest version, you will see an option to ‘Update’ the app here.

Clear App Cache