12 solutions to fix WhatsApp not working on Android
WhatsApp is one of the most populous Instant Messaging apps used across both Android and iOS.With that on the ground, it is somewhat embarrassing and painful when your WhatsApp stops working on Android. Whether WhatsApp is not connecting at all, not receiving or sending data in the background, or maybe the app is shutting down frequently, there are a couple of fixes to try. In the article, we’ll be guiding you on 12 ways to fix WhatsApp not working on Android. Let’s get started.
Restart the phone
First things first: it is recommendable to restart your phone if WhatsApp is not working on Android. Presumably, the problem is caused by a bug hanging around somewhere in the system. If that’s it, then you’re lucky. Just restart your phone by any means and continue enjoying your chats.
To force restart your phone, press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds. You can also do so from the power menu: long-press the Power button to show the power menu, then tap/swipe on Restart.
Check the network
If restarting your phone didn’t do trick, we still have many fixes for you, one of which is to check your network. As you already know that WhatsApp relies on the internet to do its job, you wouldn’t be able to send/receive messages if your phone is out of coverage or your internet data has expired. To diagnose that, simply open an app, like Chrome, to check if your network is actually working. If it’s not working, that means there’s a problem with your network. You can try connecting to a Wi-Fi network, toggle off/on your mobile data, or simply check your data balance.
If your network is working flawlessly but your WhatsApp is not picking up, try other solutions below.
Clear Whatsapp Cache and Data
Just like every other Android app, WhatsApp usually stores some data temporarily to make it work efficiently and use fewer resources. But these data, called cache, can become corrupted or unneeded at some point, which might cause the issue of whatsapp stops working on android. To fix this you need to clear the cache data for your WhatsApp. Simply follow the steps below to do so.
- Open the Settings app on your phone, then click on Apps & notifications.
- Click on App info or other options to view all apps. Now find and open WhatsApp from there.
- Select Storage & cache. You’ll find the options to clear the cache and data for the WhatsApp app. Tap on Clear cache to erase the cached data for WhatsApp.
- Now tap the back button, then click Force stop to shutdown WhatsApp.
On the same page, you could also try clearing the storage data for WhatsApp. But note that you’ll lose your chat history. You should skip that for now until you’ve tried all the fixes in this article.
Update WhatsApp app
WhatsApp is accustomed to rolling out updates via the Google Play Store to fix bugs and introduce new features. It also has a feature that stops your WhatsApp from working if you’re running a very old version. To fix that, you need to update your WhatsApp from the Play Store.
Open the Play Store on your phone and search for WhatsApp. If an update is available, you’ll see the Update button under the app. Tap on it to update your WhatsApp.
Update the phone system
As well as updating your WhatsApp, also ensure you’re running the latest software on your phone. To check that, go to Settings > System > System Update > Online Update. If there’s any pending system update, kindly connect to a Wi-Fi network to download and install it.
Is Whatsapp restricted in your country?
Yes, WhatsApp, or some of its features, were banned in some countries. So, if you’re in one of those countries, you cannot use WhatsApp. If WhatsApp is banned in your country, you should automatically see the notification when you open or try to register WhatsApp. We believe there are other more useful Instant Messaging apps – like Telegram and Signal, allowed in your country, you can try them out instead of WhatsApp.
Disable Data Saver
While ‘Data Saver’, on its own, does its job by smartly reducing data usage on apps you’re not currently using on your screen, it can affect your WhatsApp functionality. The effect is that you could only receive/send messages while WhatsApp is on your screen – you stop receiving WhatsApp notifications as soon as you leave the app for another.
To ensure you don’t miss any chats when WhatsApp is not on your screen, kindly Disable Data Saver. Normally, you should find the one-click switch in your quick settings panel. Just swipe down from the top of the screen twice to open the quick settings panel, then find Data Saver from there and turn it off.
Ensure background data is not restricted for WhatsApp
As well as turning off Data Saver, you should also ensure your WhatsApp is allowed to use data in the background. While this works hand-in-hand with Data Saver, there’s still an option on Android to restrict background data usage.
Though it’s not ideal to restrict background data usage for your messaging and work apps, you might have done so unknowingly. To ensure your WhatsApp works flawlessly, even when Data Saver is on, follow the steps below allow background data usage, and also whitelist WhatsApp from Data Saver.
- Open Settings on your phone and then tap Network & Internet.
- Click on Data Usage to view the amount of data used by your apps, and other network-related settings. From there, click on Data Saver.
- Tap unrestricted data to view a list of apps allowed/disallowed to send or receive data in the background.
- Scroll down to find It’s either you see a switch next to it, or you see “Background data is turned off” beneathit. If it’s a switch, ensure the switch is activated or activate it yourself.
- If it’s the other way round, click on WhatsApp and enable Background data from there. Also, enable unrestricted data usage to ensure you continue to receive WhatsApp notifications when Data Saver is activated.
Turn off and on Wi-Fi again
This seems like a simple trick. But it works when whatsapp is not working on Android phone. If you’ve been on a network for hours, there are chances it has become idle. To ensure that’s not the problem, simply pull down the quick settings panel and turn off Wi-Fi. Wait for a few seconds before you turn it on again. You should also do the same if you’re on a mobile network.
Check your phone storage
Your WhatsApp can also be affected if you’re running on low storage. To ensure the overall functionality of your phone is not halted, always keep a tab on your storage usage. On average, you should ensure you have up to 500MB or 1GB of free storage space on your phone. Simply go to Settings > Storage > Internal Storage to view your storage usage. If it’s getting low, consider deleting unnecessary stuff on your phone or move them to an SD card.
Reset app preferences
If the whatsapp is still not working on Android phone , you can try resetting app preferences. It’s a nifty feature on Android that helps you restore default apps settings without erasing your data. Follow the steps below to reset app preferences.
- Launch Settings on your phone, then scroll to the bottom and click
- From the system settings, click on Reset options.
- Now, safely tap on Reset app preferences. Confirm the selection, then tap Reset Apps.
Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp
Reinstalling your WhatsApp is the last, not-so-favorable, solution to fix the WhatsApp not working on your phone. It’s kind of mind bugling in the sense that you’ll lose your chat history in the process. But do not worry, you can always keep a local/cloud backup of your chats before uninstalling WhatsApp.
Moreover, some Android phone lets you keep the WhatsApp app data after clicking the uninstall button. So that’s safer if you get the prompt on your phone. But before that, simply go to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat backup, then click Back up.
After successfully backing up your chats, now head over to your app drawer. Long-press the WhatsApp icon, then click the Uninstall button. If you receive a prompt to “keep app data”, tick the box and continue. You can now safely reinstall your WhatsApp from the Play Store.
If you ticked the option to “keep app data” before installing WhatsApp, you should be able to continue using WhatsApp like nothing happened after reinstalling it. If that’s not in your case, you should receive an option to restore your chats from a local/cloud backup. Do so and continue enjoying your WhatsApp.
That’s basically how to fix WhatsApp not working on your phone.
WhatsApp Not Working On iPhone And How To Fix
Although it is difficult to pinpoint the root of the problem with WhatsApp, usually the issue is caused by the app or the iPhone’s software. Common reasons for WhatsApp malfunctions are outdated app software, a poor Wi-Fi connection, WhatsApp server maintenance and software crashes.
Users should follow the directions in each step listed below to find the source of the problem, so they can fix their iPhone’s WhatsApp and talk to their friends again.
How to Fix WhatsApp When The App Stops Working on an iPhone:
Reboot the iPhone
As with most smartphone issues, the first step to resolving an issue with WhatsApp is to reboot the iPhone. Often, restarting the phone fixes bugs or glitches. To reboot the iPhone, users should press the Power Button, holding it down until they see the power slider on the iPhone’s screen.
To turn off the iPhone, users should touch and slide the power icon to the right. After waiting approximately 1 minute, users must press down on the power button until they see the Apple logo in the middle of the screen.
Shut Down WhatsApp
In some cases, the problem exists with WhatsApp itself. To resolve the malfunctioning app, iPhone users should shut down WhatsApp and restart the app.
To shut down the app, users must open the app switcher by double-clicking the iPhone’s Home Button. This action will show every app that is open. Next, users should swipe WhatsApp in an upward direction to the top of the screen. When users do not see WhatsApp on the app switcher, it means the app is closed.
Reinstall WhatsApp
Deleting and reinstalling WhatsApp is another method users can try to fix a problem with the app on an iPhone. Doing a fresh install on a malfunctioning app can resolve issues caused by corrupted data.
To start, users should lightly touch and hold the WhatsApp icon until they feel a short vibration coming from the iPhone. After they see the apps on the screen shake, users must briefly tap the X shown on the WhatsApp icon’s top left corner. The final step in deleting the app is to simply tap the word delete.
There is no need for users to worry about losing their information. Deleting WhatsApp on an iPhone will not erase users’ account data. However, users will be required to enter their WhatsApp ID and password after reinstalling the app.
Look for a WhatsApp Update
It is common for app developers to release updates to fix glitches or add features. People who are operating an old version of WhatsApp can encounter problems when trying to use the app on their iPhone.
To find out if there is an update for WhatsApp, users need to visit the App Store and look at the bottom portion of the screen for the updates tab. After tapping this tab, a blue update button will appear next to WhatsApp if an update is available. Alternatively, users can update every app on their phone by tapping the Update All button.
Toggle the Wi-Fi Button
A problem with the iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection could be to blame for a malfunctioning WhatsApp if people use this app while connected to Wi-Fi. Similar to rebooting the iPhone, toggling the Wi-Fi connection may fix some minor internet connectivity issues.
To shut off the iPhone’s Wi-Fi, users must go into the settings app and tap the Wi-Fi option. Then, they must tap the toggle button located next to the word Wi-Fi. When the iPhone is no longer connected to Wi-Fi, the button will turn gray. Then, users should turn on the Wi-Fi again by tapping the toggle button, which turns green when the Wi-Fi connection is restored.
Delete the Saved Data for the Wi-Fi Network
To take the Wi-Fi troubleshooting portion of this guide one step further, users can make the iPhone forget their Wi-Fi network. Upon an iPhone’s first connection with any Wi-Fi network, the iPhone saves the data that users need to connect to the network.
If any data changes, the iPhone may not be able to connect to the network. When forgetting and reconnecting to the Wi-Fi network, the iPhone behaves as if it is the first time the iPhone has connected to the network.
Users should first go to the Wi-Fi area of the iPhone’s Settings to forget the connection. Next, they must lightly tap the information icon beside the Wi-Fi network in question.
Then, users should go to the option called choose a network and tap on the applicable network to reconnect. Finally, the iPhone will prompt users to enter a password if one is needed.
Check WhatsApp’s Server Status
WhatsApp and other popular apps require server maintenance on occasion. These apps can be inoperable when the server is being maintained or repaired. Users can check outage reports to find out if the server is down for maintenance.
WhatsApp Is Fixed
After following these steps, iPhone users should have been able to resolve the problem with their WhatsApp, so they can talk to their friends again. If users experience another issue with WhatsApp on their iPhone, they should refer to this article to troubleshoot the issue.
I am Komal Hatwaani, aims to provide readers with informative and engaging content that covers everything from technology and business to entertainment and lifestyle. This website dedicated to delivering high-quality content that informs, entertains, and inspires our readers.
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