Is WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business not working on your iPhone? Check out some quick solutions to fix this issue and start messaging and calling again.
When WhatsApp isn’t working properly, it may get stuck on the connecting screen, not receive new messages, prevent you from sending new text notifications, fail to make voice and video calls, or exhibit similar issues.
Go through the solutions below if you are facing such issues and cannot use WhatsApp on your iPhone.
1. Make sure the internet is working and WhatsApp is connected to it
WhatsApp uses Wi-Fi or cellular connection to send and receive messages. If WhatsApp is not working or is stuck for a long time with the word “Connecting” on the top, make sure the internet is working on your iPhone.
To check, open Safari or YouTube and try visiting a website or playing a video. If it works, the internet is fine. Move to the next solutions. If not, here are a few ways to fix it:
- Turn off Wi-Fi and reconnect: Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and turn it off. After 30 seconds, reconnect to a secure network.
- Reboot your Wi-Fi router: Turn off the Wi-Fi router from the main wall switch. After 30 seconds, turn it back on.
- Try a different Wi-Fi connection: Connect to a different available Wi-Fi network and see if WhatsApp works or not. You may also try connecting to the mobile hotspot of a friend or family member.
- Use Cellular data if Wi-Fi is poor and vice versa: When Wi-Fi is poor or not working properly, turn it off from iPhone Settings or Control Center and use Cellular. Alternatively, use Wi-Fi if you are inside a house or building with poor cell coverage.
- Check your data allowance: Make sure you have not exhausted your cellular data allowance or have unpaid mobile bills.
- Turn off proxy or VPN: WhatsApp may not work if you are connected to a VPN or proxy service. Turn these off if you are using one.
- Turn off data roaming: Open iPhone Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options and turn off Data Roaming. Now, open WhatsApp and see if it works or not.
2. Switch on and switch off Airplane Mode
You can enable and disable Airplane Mode from iPhone Control Center or by going to Settings > Airplane Mode.
3. Force Quit WhatsApp and reopen it
When WhatsApp is not working on your iPhone, is stuck on the same screen, or not downloading media, one quick way to fix this is by force closing the app and reopening it.
4. Restart your iPhone
Restarting the device often fixes several minor issues related to apps and services. When WhatsApp is not working correctly, turn off your iPhone, wait for a minute, and turn it back on. Now, open WhatsApp, and it should work.
5. Check if WhatsApp is down for other people
A while back, there was a global outage with WhatsApp and other Facebook-owned services like Facebook and Instagram. In these situations, you cannot do much except wait for them to implement a fix.
If you do not know whether WhatsApp is down for others too or not, search for “Is WhatsApp down in [your region].” Choose a site like downdetector.com or isitdownrightnow.com and see if more people are facing this issue. You can also check Whatsapp’s official account on X (Twitter) or Facebook for an update.
6. Turn off Low Power Mode
When the iPhone is in Low Power Mode, background services are limited to extend battery life. In rare situations, WhatsApp may not fetch new messages or show notifications for them. To solve this, turn off Low Power Mode from iPhone Settings > Battery.
7. Temporarily stop using WhatsApp Web
Are you logged in to WhatsApp Web on your computer? If yes, close that web.whatsapp.com browser window or WhatsApp app on your Mac or PC. Now, try using WhatsApp on your iPhone, and it should work. Plus, now you should also get notifications on the phone instead of your computer.
8. Update WhatsApp on your iPhone
Long-press the App Store icon from the iPhone Home Screen or App Library and tap Updates. Refresh the App Store updates screen by pulling it down. Next, tap UPDATE next to WhatsApp if you see it.
9. Enable Background App Refresh for WhatsApp
WhatsApp may work imperfectly if you have turned off Background App Refresh to extend the iPhone battery. For instance, it may not show new message notifications or new messages may take time to load. When you open the app, you may even see a full-screen message asking you to turn it on.
To fix this, open iPhone Settings > General > Background App Refresh and make sure it is On. Now, scroll down and ensure the switch for WhatsApp is green.
Note: You may turn off Background App Refresh for other apps if desired.
10. Free space on iPhone for WhatsApp to work correctly
When you have just a few MBs of free local storage on your iPhone, WhatsApp will show a full-screen message when you open it. During this, you may have difficulty sending and downloading images and videos. Plus, notifications might not work correctly. To fix this, delete unnecessary photos, videos, apps, etc., and make space on your iPhone.
11. Check your block list on WhatsApp
If you not getting new messages from a particular person open WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked, and make sure the person is not added here. If they are, swipe left on their name and tap Unblock. You may also tap Edit > red minus button > Unblock.
12. Ensure the person’s number is saved to iPhone
If you want to message a person first, you must save their phone number with the correct country code in your iPhone Contacts or Phone app. After saving the number, force quit WhatsApp and reopen it. Now, tap the compose button in WhatsApp, and if that contact is on WhatsApp, you can tap their name to send a message or make a call.
Tip: How to send a message on WhatsApp without saving that phone number to your iPhone
13. Check Notification settings for WhatsApp
If you are not receiving new WhatsApp notifications for calls or messages, make sure the person or WhatsApp Group is not mute.
If they are muted, you will see a gray slashed loudspeaker icon next to their name. To fix this, swipe left on their chat > More > Unmute. You can also do this from the muted person’s or group’s WhatsApp profile.
Next, go to WhatsApp Settings > Notifications and make sure Show Notifications is green. Also, ensure you do not see “None” next to Sound.
Finally, open iPhone Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp and make sure Allow Notifications and other options like Sounds are set correctly.
14. Allow WhatsApp to access Microphone and Camera
If you are unable to make WhatsApp audio or video calls or cannot send voice notes, ensure you have permitted the app to access the device’s microphone and camera.
To do this, open iPhone Settings and scroll down to the bottom. From here, tap Apps > WhatsApp and make sure Microphone and Camera are green.
If you cannot send your locations on WhatsApp, tap Location and choose While Using the App.
15. Update your iPhone
If you are on a very old version of iOS, consider updating it.
Even if you are on a newer version of iOS, updating to the latest available version will ensure you have all the features with most bugs fixed. Having both the WhatsApp app and iOS updated ensures you face little to no problems.
16. Unrestrict WhatsApp from iPhone Screen Time settings
If your guardian or you have restricted WhatsApp, you can revert this by going to iPhone Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turning it off.
Similarly, if a time limit is set on WhatsApp, tap App Limits and swipe left on WhatsApp to delete it.
17. Reset Network Settings
If the problem continues, reset your iPhone’s network settings, and once this is completed, connect to a Wi-Fi network or mobile data. WhatsApp should work correctly now. If not, follow the last method.
18. Delete WhatsApp and reinstall it
Finally, if nothing works, delete WhatsApp and download it again.
Important: Doing this will delete all the WhatsApp chats, call history, in-app media, and more. So before proceeding, make sure to back up your WhatsApp to iCloud.
After you delete the WhatsApp app and download it, you will have to enter your phone number and verify it again. Once that’s done, restore your chats from the backup. If you skip now, you cannot get back the chats later.
Check out next: How to share your iPhone screen via WhatsApp