The question we always ask ourselves, is WhatsApp down or not working for me? If you live with your whole family you can ask out loud and you will have a quick answer to know if they also have problems with WhatsApp or it is a matter of your mobile phone but we can also go a little further and do all kinds of checks: find if the The problem is the app, mobile, network, etc. We can know if there is a WhatsApp crash now or not.
The first thing we have to rule out if WhatsApp does not work or has fallen is to check if it is our problem, the application in general, the connection, the telephone, the operator … It is common for there to be errors in WhatsApp and that is why it is advisable to follow a series of steps to find the problem and fix it as soon as possible.
Check your internet connection
The first thing we have to check is the Internet connection of the mobile phone. It may be that if WhatsApp does not work or is down, it is a problem with our connection and not a general problem. In that case, we have to check that the WiFi or data is working properly. There are a series of simple steps that will only take a few minutes and with which we can verify it.
Remove and check the data
It is usually one of the first things we do: remove the WiFi network, if connected to it, and use the data. It may simply be that the WiFi network in our house has fallen or the signal is slow to the point where we are and that is why WhatsApp does not work. If it works by removing the WiFi network, we already know where the problem is. If removing the WiFi network does not work, there are other steps we can follow to rule out problems and to find solutions.
Check that you don’t have airplane mode on
Airplane Mode deactivates all the networks you have, data or WiFi, and you may have accidentally activated it from the quick actions menu. Although the route may vary depending on the phone model you have or the brand, we almost always find this mode in the settings and we can verify that it is not activated:
- Open your mobile phone settings
- Go to Mobile networks
- Find “Airplane mode”
- Activate and deactivate
Or check that it is not activated to make sure that WiFi or mobile data can work normally and, therefore, we can continue using WhatsApp.
Try other applications or web pages
With the phone connected to WiFi or data connection, try other applications or web pages to verify that everything loads normally. It’s the first thing we usually do: open Twitter, go to a web page or send a Telegram message to see if this works. If nothing else works, it may not just be a WhatsApp error or that WhatsApp is down, but your operator is not working properly. Contact your operator by phone to find out if there is a temporary incident in your area.
WhatsApp crash now? Fault map
You have asked other people if it works for them or not, using other social networks or messaging apps, and they say yes. But not for you and WhatsApp still does not work even though you do have Internet and you have checked all of the above: check the area. It may be that the generalized failure by which WhatsApp does not work is not global and worldwide, but is exclusively in a city, in a country, in a specific area. Downdetector is a web page that shows you a fault map in real time. A heat map where we see in real time where the different applications or web pages are causing problems. By zooming in and selecting “WhatsApp” you can see where it is failing and where it is not. It may only be in your city and that is why no one else has complained about the error.
Check Twitter
Twitter may be another alternative option to Downdetector’s fault map because many users turn to this social network to complain. Just search the social network “whatsapp” and see if it is down, where, how many complaints there are, etc. This will ensure that you are not the only person who has the problem.
If there are more users, you can only wait for it to be solved and we advise you not to touch anything because during WhatsApp crashes, in the case of restarting the app, the activation messages would not reach you. Just be patient for it to come back.
It doesn’t work for me
If there are no faults anywhere but your WhatsApp still does not work, we know that the problem is exclusive to us but not to the Internet. In that case, we will have to check why the application does not send messages or does not receive them …
Stop force
On Android, you can force stop the app if it is currently frozen, whatever the problem you may have temporarily. Long press the app on the main screen. That is, press and hold the WhatsApp icon on your mobile phone screen and tap on the information icon. Once here, choose “Force stop”. If it seems complicated, you can also:
- Go to mobile phone settings
- Open the Applications section
- Find WhatsApp in the list of apps
- Tap on it to open settings and options
- Choose “Stop”
Once you have done it, start WhatsApp again and test to see if the messages have been sent now or if it is already working normally.
Restart the phone
It is usually something we do regularly and it does not always work but sometimes it does. It’s simpler than any other tips and tricks, and it just takes a few seconds. Each mobile is restarted in a different “way” but turn it off and on after a few minutes to see if it now works or not.
Background data
A common problem we have when WhatsApp does not work or when we think it does not work is that notifications do not reach us. You may have been without receiving messages for several hours and you think that it has fallen or that it is damaged but not, it continues working and when you open the app everything comes to you at once. It may be that you have activated data restriction options in the background. This means that applications that are not open are not working until you open them. You do not receive notifications despite having hundreds of messages waiting.
Check whether or not you have background data enabled.
- Go to the settings of your mobile phone
- Open the section or section of applications
- Choose the Applications / Application Manager option
- Find the WhatsApp app in the complete list
- Open the settings
- Go to the section “Use of data”
- Find ” Background data ” and activate the option
So you can receive notifications even if you are not using the app.
Check that it is up to date
Check that you have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your mobile phone. Normally the updates are automatic but you can check it from the application store you use, the Google Play Store or the App Store.
On Android
- Open Google Play Store from your mobile phone
- Tap on the top left of the screen
- Choose the option My apps and games
- Find WhatsApp in the list
- Check if there are any pending updates
- If there is, tap on “Update”
On iOS
In iOS you can also see if WhatsApp is pending update or if you have the latest version. From the App Store you can see the pending updates.
- Go to the App Store from your mobile phone
- Tap on the photo in the upper right
- Swipe up
- You will see the available updates
- Check that WhatsApp is not
- If you have a pending update, update
Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp
Try uninstalling and installing WhatsApp if none of the above works. If you have Internet, the crash is not global and everything works correctly, it may be a problem with your application or something is failing from time to time. Before uninstalling make sure you have a backup made of all your chats.
- Open WhatsApp on your mobile phone
- Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner
- Open the application settings
- Go to the Chats section in the menu
- Find “Backup”
- You will see the latest copy locally and in Google Drive, as well as its size
- Tap on “Save”
You will have to wait a few minutes for the WhatsApp backup to be done correctly. The time will depend on the weight of it and it may take longer if you have several gigs. Once the process is complete, you can uninstall the app from your mobile phone and go to the app store to download it again. Remember to select “Restore backup” when you log in to WhatsApp after downloading the new app on your smartphone.
