Can’t sign in to WhatsApp, but is WhatsApp down or is the problem local to you? Here’s how to tell if WhatsApp is working properly, and a few fixes to try if it’s not.
At the time of writing, WhatsApp offers a good service, which means if it doesn’t work on your phone, there is another problem. The company recently announced that it was dropping support for some older phones . If your phone is not on the list, read on for some tips on how to fix WhatsApp.
WhatsApp can go down unexpectedly at any time of the day or night. Click here to find out if there are WhatsApp issues in your area .
Troubleshoot your Internet connection
WhatsApp is an online service, which means that you must have an active internet connection in order to use it. Launch the browser on your smartphone and try to navigate to a new web page, or open and refresh another online service such as Facebook or Twitter.
If your internet connection seems to be working, continue to the next tip. If you can’t go online, there are a few things you can try.
- If you’re using Wi-Fi, first turn the connection on or off, or put the phone in and out of Airplane mode. You can also try restarting your phone. See as well: How to use WhatsApp on the web .
Also make sure that your phone does not give up the Wi-Fi connection when it goes to sleep (go to Settings, Wi-Fi, choose Advanced from the Options menu, and then make sure that Always keep Wi-Fi -Fi during sleep is Always).
- If you are sure that the broadband service is not down ( downdetector.co.uk is a good place to check), you can also try restarting your wireless router.
- If you are using mobile data, check that your mobile data connection is not turned off in the Settings menu and that the signal is sufficient. See also: What do the two blue ticks mean in WhatsApp? and how to get WhatsApp on an iPad or Android tablet.
You should also verify that you have not restricted the background data usage for WhatsApp in the Data usage menu and that your APN settings are configured correctly. If you can use WhatsApp over Wi-Fi but not your mobile connection, chances are the APN settings are not configured to allow non-web traffic – check with your mobile operator.
Finally, verify that you haven’t exceeded your mobile data limit.
Update WhatsApp
WhatsApp is getting new features all the time which translates into a fair amount of app updates. Sometimes WhatsApp will only work if you are using the latest version, and this is certainly the case if you have transferred the app to a tablet or other Android device for which it is not available on Google Play. See also: How to get WhatsApp on iPad or Android tablet.
On an Android phone, you need to check for app updates by opening Google Play, tapping the three lines at the top left and selecting My Apps, then checking the Installed tab for available updates. .
On an iPhone, open the App Store and tap the Updates icon at the bottom right of the screen. WhatsApp also recommends making sure you’re using the latest version of iOS.
Uninstall and reinstall the app
A last resort is to uninstall and then reinstall a fresh copy of WhatsApp.
Before you do that, you’ll probably want to backup your WhatsApp conversations, which on an Android phone will require you to use the free Google Drive app as well.
Download it, sign in using your Google account details, then in WhatsApp, choose Settings, Chats, Chat backup, then hit the green Backup button.
When you reinstall WhatsApp, it will automatically search Google Drive for a backed up copy of your conversations, so that when it finds your backup allows it to restore it.
