One day, you wake up, and you have no new notifications from WhatsApp. And when you go to the app, it doesn’t work, and you can’t log in either. You wonder if WhatsApp is down, but find nothing when you search on the internet. Strange and frustrating, right?
- Around 100 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp daily.
- In 2013, Google offered a whopping amount of $10 billion for ownership rights to WhatsApp, but it declined.
From children to the older generation, everyone uses WhatsApp. And if it stops working one day, the world comes crashing down. Since there are over 50 million WhatsApp Business users, even the thought of it gives nightmares to them.
While it sounds like a one-time thing, we want to make sure that it doesn’t happen to our readers when they need WhatsApp the most.
So, we have got some easy steps for Android and iPhone users which will come to their rescue when WhatsApp is not working. Continue reading the article to find out how.
Why WhatsApp is Not Working?
It can be hard to understand why all of a sudden WhatsApp isn’t working when it was working perfectly fine just yesterday, and you were chatting with your friends and family. It can also be problematic for those who rely on it for their business as well. As a top-notch medium of communication, it can give us a hard time. So let’s not keep you waiting and move ahead with the possible reasons which can be causing the issue.
- Poor connectivity
- Account might be deleted by WhatsApp
- Using an old version of the app
- Short on Storage
- WhatsApp might be down
Easy Fixes to Follow When WhatsApp is not Working
You might see an error like “WhatsApp isn’t working” or “WhatsApp is temporarily unavailable.” But why does that error appear? We don’t know for sure what exactly is the reason for this, however, we are positive that it has to be one of the reasons that we mentioned earlier. So worry not, as we have got some easy solutions for you. And what’s better is that it includes steps for both Android and iOS users. Let’s get started!
For iOS
Restart your iPhone
No matter what the cause is, restarting the device often happens to be pretty helpful. Usually done for minor bugs or damaged applications running in the background, a fresh restart makes the device’s functions perform smoothly. Here are some easy steps for doing so:
- Press the lock button for 2-3 seconds and slide the bar to switch off the device.
- Wait for about 30 seconds and press the power button again to restart the phone until the Apple logo appears.
- Now, you can open your WhatsApp and check if the issue has been resolved.
Delete WhatsApp and reinstall it
If WhatsApp is malfunctioning, there is a high possibility of the app being corrupted or damaged. Hence, uninstalling the app and then redownloading it can help. The steps for the method are given below:
- Press the WhatsApp icon for 2-3 seconds until options appear.
- Select the remove app option from the menu.
- Then a dialog box will appear, choose to delete the app.
- After that, go to the App Store and search for WhatsApp.
- When the results will appear, click on the cloud icon given on the right side of the screen as shown below.
- After the app is installed, you can relaunch it to know if the issue has been resolved.
Close WhatsApp from Recent Apps
Sometimes there are minor glitches that occur in the app when you update it or a corrupted file manages to get into the app. So a simple closing of the app can come to the rescue. Follow the steps to know how:
- Open your WhatsApp and double-click the home button.
| Note: If you have the iPhone X or later models, you can swipe up the bar given at the bottom of the screen and this will bring you to the opened apps in the background. |
- Swipe up on WhatsApp from the bottom to the center of the screen.
- Now, the app is closed, and you can reopen it in some time.
Check for an Update of WhatsApp
As mentioned earlier, one of the possible reasons for WhatsApp’s not working can be using an outdated version of the app. Since almost every other app keeps releasing its latest updates, so does WhatsApp. So, you need to be sure that you are up to its latest version. If you aren’t sure, follow these steps to clear your doubt:
- Open the App Store and press your Account icon in the right corner of the app.
- Then scroll down a bit and see the available updates for apps.
- If WhatsApp is one of those apps, tap on Update.
- After that, open WhatsApp, and it should be working smoothly.
For Android
Close and Reopen WhatsApp
Closing WhatsApp and then reopening it can be helpful as it is possible that in the first attempt, the app faced issues in launching properly. Hence, let’s see how we can do the process by the given steps:
- Click on the home button of your device or the app switcher given in the dashboard at the bottom of your device.
- After the screen for background running apps appears, swipe off WhatsApp from the screen in an upward direction.
- This will mean that the app has closed. And you can now reopen the app to see if the issue has been resolved.
Uninstall WhatsApp and Reinstall
The method of uninstalling the app and then reinstalling it has proven to be helpful at times. This way, any glitches or errors in the app get cleared, and redownloading refresh the app. Here are the steps for the process:
- Press and hold the WhatsApp icon for 2-3 seconds. Then, out of the options’ menu, select uninstall.
Or
Go to the ‘Settings’ section of your mobile device, search for the ‘WhatsApp’ app and then open it. Select ‘uninstall’ from the options at the bottom.
| Note: Before tapping the Uninstall button, you can follow this step to avoid losing the chats: WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat backup, then click Back up. |
- If a pop-up appears, then tick keep app data and continue.
- Then go to Play Store and search for WhatsApp.
- After that, relaunch the app and see if the issue is resolved.
Check your Storage
Low storage or not having enough storage that is needed to run the app can also be a factor affecting WhatsApp. So you should make sure that your storage isn’t full and the required space for smooth functioning of the app is available.
- To check storage, you can either go to Settings or go to ‘My Files’.
- Then select internal storage.
- After that, free up your storage if a sufficient amount of 500 MB to 1 GB is not available. Then you will be able to use the app again.
Look for updates
Using an outdated or old version of any app can lead to malfunctioning. Hence, you must be sure that you are using the latest version available on WhatsApp. The following are the steps for the method:
- Go to Play Store.
- Search for WhatsApp in the search bar.
- Check if the update option appears below the app’s name.
- Tap on update and then restart your app to check if the problem still persists.
You can also check out this guide by Business Insider for the issue.
Did You Know?
- WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by ex-employees of Yahoo – Brian Acton and Jan Koum.
- WhatsApp was one of the largest acquisitions of Facebook when it was bought for $19 billion in 2014.
- In 2021, due to an update of its terms and conditions, WhatsApp lost millions of its users.
- WhatsApp was down for 6 hours straight, along with Instagram and Facebook in October 2021.
FAQs
1. Why can’t I log in to my WhatsApp?
To log in to your WhatsApp, there are some ways to do it. But we have provided you with the easiest method that can help you by following the given steps:
- Settings > tap Apps > WhatsApp > Mobile data & Wi-Fi > turn background data on.
- Go to the Google Play Store and update WhatsApp to the latest version available.
- Upgrade your Android device operating system to the latest version available.
2. How can I access my WhatsApp account?
To access your WhatsApp account, you can follow the steps given below:-
- Open WhatsApp, and on the main chat page, click on the three-dot menu and select settings.
- Your name will be visible to you, tap on your profile picture.
- Check your WhatsApp username and the registered mobile number.
And for more, visit the WhatsApp support page
