WhatsApp has become one of the major apps for business transactions and communications. It is basically now the go-to platform for many people in the world.
However, WhatsApp can sometimes stop working due to application error, network problems, hacks or other unforeseen circumstances. So let’s find out why your WhatsApp isn’t working.
Below are some specific things that could stop your WhatsApp from working:
- WhatsApp is having a wider problem that affects more than just your app
- You’re not properly connected to the internet
- Your device is having trouble fully utilizing the app
- You have been hacked
- You have been blocked from communicating
- An app setting is preventing photos, videos, or messages from sticking around
- Permissions have been denied that are necessary for some things to work
- Your inactive account was deleted
You can follow the steps below to find out how to fix your WhatsApp.
- Check if WhatsApp is down. If they’re experiencing issues on their end, there’s nothing you can do but wait for the problem to be fixed. (Note: Be sure to complete this step first so you’re not wasting your time on a problem that isn’t yours to fix!)
- Close the app, and then reopen it. This is the easiest solution that will work in some cases if it’s just a temporary problem.
- Turn on Wi-Fi or turn on mobile data. You need a valid internet connection to properly use WhatsApp.
- Turn your whole device off and then back on again. The process of restarting your device depends on your platform
- Set up WhatsApp Web again to reestablish that connection if the problem seems to present only when you’re using the app through your desktop browser.
- Clear the cache. If there are too many temporary files or corrupted data in the cache, it could interfere with the app’s proper functionality, such as causing it to crash upon opening.
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version through your phone’s app store. If an app bug is causing a widespread issue, it’ll no doubt be fixed quickly.
- Check app permissions. You need to give WhatsApp permission to access things like your contacts, photos, mic, etc., otherwise, those things won’t work.
- See if you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp. It might be “broken” in the sense you can’t communicate with select people, but the reality could be they’ve added you to their blocked contacts list.
- Unmute the contact if WhatsApp isn’t making noise. There’s an option to mute notifications for specific contacts. If you’ve done this, you won’t hear or see alerts about the person/people you’ve muted. Unmuting is easy and will fix the problem immediately.
- Troubleshoot missing WhatsApp media files if images and videos aren’t showing up. This might happen if a certain media visibility setting is turned off or if media files aren’t set up to automatically download.
- Turn off WhatsApp disappearing messages if you find that chats are disappearing after a day or so. This isn’t a fault of the app, but instead a legitimate privacy setting that you might prefer to turn off.
- Reinstall the app. Removing all of WhatsApp from your phone or computer will let you start fresh with a brand-new installation. This will fix the issue if the fault lies somewhere in the app’s installation.
- Make a new account. If you were unable to complete most of the steps above, it could be because your account was deleted. WhatsApp might do if you’ve been inactive for at least 120 days.