Why is Whatsapp Not Working? Is my Phone Broken?

Since its creation in 2009, WhatsApp, the world’s premier messaging app, has seen trillions of messages pass through its system. Estimates state that, on average, 100 billion are sent per day. Think about it: 100 billion … per day … that is a serious amount of gifs, texts and videos!

Sometimes, though, that moment arrives when you hit send and nothing happens. No ticks to show sent, no ticks to show received. What’s going on with WhatsApp you might ask? Is it your phone? Is it WhatsApp itself? If, like a huge percentage of the population, this is the key method to communicate with friends, family and colleagues, you may feel like the world has stopped.

So why wouldn’t WhatsApp be working? We took a look and found that it could vary from things such as your account having been deleted to a poor internet connection. Let’s dive in and find out what is causing your message-sending fun to come to a halt.

WhatsApp is down because your account has been deleted

If you only dabble in a little WhatsApp usage, there is every chance the powers that be at Meta (the owners of WhatsApp) have decided your account is dormant. As part of the terms and conditions of the app, if you remain an inactive user for 120 days, they can shut down your account. So, if your other friends and colleagues are having message-sending success, and you were only an infrequent user, you may have lost your account. It is a simple fix though – just set up a new one.

WhatsApp is down because your connection is weak

We take internet connectivity for granted these days, we can connect to Wi-Fi pretty much anywhere and cellphone coverage means that a 4G or 5G signal is never far away. Occasionally though, these signals drop a little. With WhatsApp being an internet-driven feature, without a connection, it won’t work.

A quick fix here is often to turn your cellular data and Wi-Fi connectivity off on your phone. Leave it for a few seconds then turn it back on. If your connection has been restored, try sending a message and see what happens. If it goes through, you are ready to go!

WhatsApp is down because of a software glitch

Sometimes, the app just doesn’t want to play ball. Something somewhere within its operating procedures isn’t right. Close down the app and restart it. Sometimes this gives it a little refresh and that is all it will need.

WhatsApp is down

Occasionally, it is out of your hands and somewhere at WhatsApp HQ, something has gone wrong. This is one of the least likely to happen – WhatsApp, on the whole, is reliable – but it has happened in the past. Often it is rectified quickly. If you aren’t having messages through, you can check if it is WhatsApp at fault by heading to a site like downdetector. This monitors website activity and will be able to inform you whether it is a fault at their end rather than yours.

WhatsApp is down, should I restart my phone?

Much like restarting the app itself, a phone restart can be a good way to give the phone a little nudge to get back to normal. A restart allows the software within the handset to start again and, in effect, give it a reboot. Quite often, this restores the functionality of the app and you are good to go.

Have you got the most up-to-date version of WhatsApp?

Most apps on your phone are running a whole lot of processes behind the screen … things you won’t see but without them, the app just won’t work. One of these processes is for the app to update itself when there is a new software version available. Occasionally, when setting up our phones, we restrict certain features, maybe to preserve battery life. One of these you inadvertently restrict could be software updates. If you do this with WhatsApp, there is every chance it won’t work the next time you use it. It simply won’t be the version that WhatsApp is currently running. Therefore, head to your app store, whether Android or Apple, and look for WhatsApp. Next to the app should appear a button saying “update”. If it does, tap it. Then try sending a message once the update has been completed.

Does the cache need clearing to make WhatsApp run?

This is another of the phone-related options but one that tends to be unlikely. Sometimes the cache can contain corrupted data and make an app malfunction. If you have an iPhone, you will need to delete the app and install it again. If you own an Android device, you can head into settings and clear the cache for WhatsApp by finding it in the app menu.

Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Storage & Cache > Clear Cache

After this, restart your app and see if you can send. If not, you can do this process again but select clear storage rather than cache. This will delete all stored WhatApp data and log you out. Just be aware!

Could a low battery stop WhatsApp from working?

You may have seen us reference the importance of battery life before. We are a company providing premium chargers after all! Well sometimes, WhatsApp could be down because your battery is too low. Many phones go into low power mode when they hit a level of 10-15% battery power. This means many apps are shut off from working to preserve battery life. The secret here is to always keep yourself charged up! With a portable power bank like MAGFAST Life, you never run out of power when you are on the go, when at home or in the office … meaning you can send your pics, vids, texts and gifs for longer and always remain connected. Incorporating QI wireless charging as well as the universal USB-C and USB-A charging ports, it is a versatile bit of kit.  With rapid speed charging, your downtime from WhatsApp or other apps is minimal and, to be honest, won’t really exist at all! Simply put the palm-sized portable power bank in your bag and you are all good!

When you factor in the rest of the power bank family we have created, you will see that there will never be a device you can’t keep running! From smartphones to tablets, e-readers to handheld gaming, MAGFAST is changing charging for good. Find out more at our online demo where you can win $1,000 worth of high-level tech gear and learn more about our green plan that sees trees planted for every MAGFAST item sold.