Is WhatsApp Down? Check Status and Fix Messages Not Sending

To check whether WhatsApp is down for everyone, look at WhatsApp's official account on X, an outage tracker such as Downdetector, and the news. If thousands of people report problems at once, it is an outage, and the only fix is to wait. If it is just you, the cause is almost always on your phone. Check that mobile data or Wi-Fi works in another app, then toggle airplane mode. Make sure WhatsApp is allowed background data and is not restricted by battery saver. Set the phone's date and time to automatic, update WhatsApp, and free some storage. A single gray check means the message left your phone but has not reached the recipient. A clock means it never left.

Ethan's mother called him in a mild panic one evening: her WhatsApp messages to the family group were stuck with a little clock icon, and nobody had replied to her for an hour. Ethan checked his own phone: WhatsApp worked fine, so it was not an outage. He asked Jake, who suggested the usual suspects over the phone. Her mobile data was on, but a battery-saving mode she had switched on that afternoon was blocking WhatsApp in the background. One switch later, the clocks turned into checks, and twenty messages arrived at once. This page covers both cases, a real outage and a problem on your own phone, and how to tell them apart in a minute.

Settings names below are from current Android and iPhone versions; phone makers label some options slightly differently, and the Settings search box finds them by name.

Is WhatsApp down right now? How to check

1. Ask someone on a different network, or check on another device, whether WhatsApp works for them.
2. Look at WhatsApp's official account on X, where the company posts during major outages.
3. Check an outage tracking site such as Downdetector, which charts user reports; a sudden spike means a wider problem.
4. Search news sites for "WhatsApp down"; large outages are reported within minutes.
5. If Facebook and Instagram are also failing, the problem is likely Meta-wide.

Outage trackers count reports from users, so a spike can lag behind the real start, and small regional problems may not show clearly. If reports are flat and other people's WhatsApp works, the problem is on your side, and the rest of this page applies.

Partial outages: only some features fail

Not every outage is total. Sometimes text messages work while photos, voice notes or Status fail; sometimes WhatsApp Web breaks while phones work; sometimes only one region is affected. Outage trackers often show which feature users are reporting. In a partial outage, keep using what works and resend media later. If only media fails for you and not others, go back to the storage and permission checks, since partial problems on a single phone are usually local.

Partial outages are often fixed within minutes to an hour as engineers roll back the change that caused them, so retrying later is usually all that is needed.

Major WhatsApp outages

WhatsApp is very reliable most of the time, but large outages do happen. The biggest came on October 4, 2021, when WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram were unavailable worldwide for around six hours after a faulty configuration change cut Meta's services off from the internet. On October 25, 2022, WhatsApp went down globally for about two hours. Other, shorter disruptions have affected sending, media or WhatsApp Web in particular regions.

During an outage, nothing on your phone will fix it. Messages wait on your phone with a clock icon and send automatically when service returns. Do not uninstall or reinstall the app during an outage: it achieves nothing, and if your backup is out of date, it can cost you messages.

Staying in touch during an outage

Because so many families and businesses rely on WhatsApp, an outage can feel like losing contact entirely. Ordinary SMS and phone calls keep working, since they run on the mobile network, not WhatsApp's servers. Email works too. Many people keep a second messaging app installed for this reason, and agreeing a backup channel with family in advance, such as "if WhatsApp is down, text", avoids confusion. During the 2021 outage, other messaging services reported millions of new sign-ups in a single day as people looked for alternatives.

Businesses that depend on WhatsApp for customer contact should list a phone number or email on their website as a fallback, so customers can still reach them on outage days.

When the outage ends, WhatsApp delivers everything that was waiting, so expect a burst of notifications.

Scams that exploit outages

Outages bring scams. During and after big disruptions, messages circulate claiming you must forward a message to keep WhatsApp free, upgrade to a special "WhatsApp Gold" version, or verify your account by clicking a link or sharing a code. All of these are fake: WhatsApp does not charge for the app, does not have premium versions you install from links, and never asks for your verification code. Delete such messages and warn family members, especially older relatives who may be more likely to trust them.

If a relative has already shared a code or clicked such a link, help them sign back in to WhatsApp with their own number straight away, which ends the other person's session, then turn on two-step verification.

Genuine announcements from WhatsApp appear in the app itself, from a verified WhatsApp account with a green check badge, or on its official website and social accounts, never as chain messages from friends.

What the checks and the clock mean

If someone has turned off read receipts, you will never see blue checks from them, even after they read your message. In groups, blue checks appear only when every member has read the message. A single gray check that never becomes two can also mean the person has blocked you, though it more often means their phone is simply off or without signal.

You can see exactly when a message was delivered and read by long-pressing your sent message and choosing Info, which helps when someone says they never received it.

Symptom and most likely cause

Finding your row first saves trying every fix in turn.

If two rows seem to fit, start with the one that is quicker to test, usually the connection rows, since they take seconds to check.

Messages stuck with a clock: the core fixes

1. Test the connection. Open a website or another app. If nothing loads, the problem is the connection, not WhatsApp.
2. Toggle airplane mode on for ten seconds and off again, so the phone reconnects to the network.
3. Switch networks. Try mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, or the reverse; some Wi-Fi networks at schools, offices and hotels block messaging apps.
4. Restart the phone. It clears stuck network states and background restrictions.
5. Update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store.
6. Check storage. A nearly full phone can stop WhatsApp sending, especially media.
7. Check background data and battery settings, covered in the Android and iPhone sections below.

Most stuck messages are solved by step two or three. If messages send on Wi-Fi but not on mobile data, or the other way round, the problem is that network's settings, not the app.

Messages sent while you are offline are not lost; they stay in the chat with the clock icon and go out automatically, in order, as soon as the phone reconnects, so there is no need to retype them.

WhatsApp Business accounts

Small businesses often use the separate WhatsApp Business app, which works the same way for troubleshooting but has extra features such as automated greetings and catalogs. If a business does not reply, it may be outside its stated hours, or its automated messages may be all you see until staff respond. Businesses using Meta's paid business platform depend on Meta's business systems, which publish a public status page for developers. If you run WhatsApp Business yourself and messages fail, check the same settings as personal WhatsApp first; the app shares the same connection rules.

Customers can also report spam or block business accounts like any other contact if messages become unwanted.

When the problem is on the other person's side

Sometimes your phone is fine and the issue is the recipient's. A single gray check that lasts hours usually means their phone is off, out of signal, or has WhatsApp restricted in the background by their battery settings. If they changed phones and did not restore WhatsApp, or changed numbers, your messages may sit undelivered. You can confirm by calling them normally or sending an SMS. If they have blocked you, you will see a single check indefinitely and no profile updates; WhatsApp deliberately does not confirm blocks.

Before assuming a block, consider the simpler explanations; most long single checks clear up when the other person next connects.

Group messages show single checks for longer too, since delivery to every member must complete before the second check appears.

Android: data, battery and app settings

Android manages battery and data aggressively, and phone makers add their own layers on top, which is the most common reason WhatsApp stops sending or receiving in the background. Open Settings > Apps > WhatsApp, then check:

• Mobile data & Wi-Fi (or Data usage): make sure Background data is on and, if available, Unrestricted data usage is on, so Data Saver does not block it.
• Battery: set it to Unrestricted, or remove it from any optimization or sleeping apps list.
• Permissions: notifications should be allowed, and storage access if sending media fails.

Phone makers' power-saving modes, such as extreme or ultra battery savers, often stop all background activity except calls and texts, which is exactly what happened to Ethan's mother. Turn the mode off, or add WhatsApp to its allowed apps. If WhatsApp still misbehaves, open Storage & cache in the same app settings and tap Clear cache, which removes temporary files without deleting chats. Do not tap Clear storage unless you have a recent backup.

If you use a work profile, make sure you are opening the WhatsApp installed in the profile you expect; two copies of the app can exist side by side, each with its own account and settings.

Force stop: a quick reset of the app

On Android, Force stop, in Settings > Apps > WhatsApp, closes the app completely, including background parts that a normal swipe away leaves running. Open WhatsApp again afterwards. It is a quick way to clear a stuck state without restarting the whole phone, and it does not delete anything. On iPhone, swiping WhatsApp away in the app switcher and reopening it does the same job.

If force stopping fixes the problem repeatedly, the underlying cause is usually a battery or background restriction that keeps putting WhatsApp into a bad state, so check those settings again rather than force stopping every day. Some phone makers' cleaner or booster apps also kill WhatsApp in the background; remove WhatsApp from their lists, or stop using such apps, which rarely help modern phones.

After force stopping, give WhatsApp a minute to reconnect and sync before deciding whether it worked.

iPhone: background refresh and mobile data

On iPhone, open Settings > WhatsApp and make sure Mobile Data (or Cellular Data) is on and Background App Refresh is on. Check that Low Data Mode is off for your Wi-Fi network and mobile plan, in Wi-Fi and Mobile Data settings, and that Low Power Mode is not limiting background activity when you need messages to arrive. If Screen Time limits are set, WhatsApp may be blocked during downtime.

If problems persist, update iOS and WhatsApp, then restart the phone. Offloading and reinstalling WhatsApp, in Settings > General > iPhone Storage > WhatsApp, keeps its data while reinstalling the app itself, but make sure your iCloud backup is current first, in WhatsApp's Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.

On iPhone, also check Settings > Screen Time > Communication Limits if a child's account is involved; these can limit who the phone can contact through supported apps.

Wrong date and time breaks WhatsApp

WhatsApp refuses to connect if your phone's date or time is wrong, sometimes showing a message that the date on your phone is incorrect. Secure connections rely on accurate time, so a phone set to the wrong day, or manually adjusted, cannot connect. Set the date and time to automatic: on Android, Settings > System > Date & time > Set time automatically; on iPhone, Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Set the time zone to automatic as well, especially after traveling.

This is a surprisingly common cause after a phone's battery runs completely flat, when it may restart with an old date, or after someone changes the clock to cheat a timer in a game.

Dual-SIM phones and phones that travel across time zones benefit most from the automatic setting, since manual changes are easy to forget.

After fixing the date, close and reopen WhatsApp so it reconnects with the corrected time.

Not receiving messages or notifications

If others say they sent messages that you only see when you open WhatsApp, the app is not running in the background. That is the battery and background data settings above, plus notifications: in WhatsApp, open Settings > Notifications and check that they are on and not muted for the chats in question. In the phone's settings, check that WhatsApp's notifications are allowed and that Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode is not silencing them.

Muted chats and archived chats behave differently: muted chats still receive messages silently, while archived chats stay archived and do not notify you, depending on settings. Check the archive at the top or bottom of the chat list if a conversation seems to have disappeared.

"Waiting for this message"

Sometimes a message appears with the text Waiting for this message. This may take a while. This is related to WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption: your phone needs the sender's phone to share the encryption keys for that message, which can happen when the sender recently reinstalled WhatsApp, changed phones, or has been offline. Usually it resolves when the sender's phone comes back online with WhatsApp open. Asking the sender to open WhatsApp and keep a connection for a moment is the fix; there is nothing to change on your side.

On the sender's side, keeping WhatsApp updated and avoiding frequent reinstalls makes these messages rarer.

Messages that remain in this state for days usually mean the sender's phone has not been online with WhatsApp since, so a quick call asking them to open the app solves it.

Privacy settings that look like problems

Several privacy settings can make it look as if something is broken. If someone hides their last seen and online status, you see neither. If they turn off read receipts, blue checks never appear. If they limit their profile photo to contacts, you see a blank picture if they have not saved your number. These look similar to being blocked but are ordinary choices. You can review your own in Settings > Privacy. Note that turning off read receipts also stops you seeing other people's.

If you want to be sure whether someone has simply changed settings, a normal phone call or text settles it faster than studying their profile.

Changes to these settings take effect quickly but can take a little time to appear on other people's phones, so a sudden change in what you see is not necessarily a new block or a fault.

Messages that vanished

If messages disappear from a chat, check whether disappearing messages is on, shown in the chat's info and as a timer icon; it deletes messages after 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days. Someone may also have used Delete for everyone, which replaces the message with a note that it was deleted. If an entire chat is missing, look in archived chats, or check whether chats were restored from an older backup after a reinstall.

Disappearing messages can be set as the default for all new chats in Settings > Privacy > Default message timer, so check there if every new conversation seems to lose its history.

Helping an older relative remotely

When a parent or grandparent calls about WhatsApp, a short phone checklist covers most cases. Ask whether they see a clock or checks; ask them to open a website to test the connection; ask whether a battery saver or power mode is on; and ask them to restart the phone. If that does not help, a video call from another device lets you see their screen. Setting their phone's date and time to automatic and allowing WhatsApp unrestricted battery and data in advance prevents most of these calls, which is exactly what Ethan did for his mother after her evening of stuck messages.

Writing the key settings down on a card for them, with the date-and-time and battery steps, lets them fix the common cases without calling at all.

Group messages not sending

If messages fail in one group but work everywhere else, check whether the group's admins have set Send messages to admins only, in the group's settings, which stops other members posting. If you were removed from a group, you can still see its old messages but cannot send new ones. Very large groups occasionally deliver more slowly. If a group seems to have vanished, check the archived chats and whether the group was deleted by its admin.

Group admins can also restrict who can edit the group's info or add members, which sometimes looks like a sending problem to members trying to do those things.

Leaving and rejoining a group via an invite link from an admin can fix a group that behaves oddly on one phone only.

Status, Channels and Communities not loading

WhatsApp's Status updates, Channels and Communities live in the Updates and Communities tabs. If Status updates will not load, the usual causes are the same as for messages: connection, background data or storage. Status from a contact appears only if both of you have each other's number saved and their privacy settings include you. Channels are one-way broadcasts from organizations and creators; if one stops updating, it may have been paused or removed by its owner. Communities group related chats together, and their announcement groups usually let only admins post.

Muted Status updates sit at the bottom of the list, so a contact who seems to have stopped posting may simply have been muted by accident.

WhatsApp Web and desktop app problems

WhatsApp on computers runs as a linked device, independent of the phone's connection since WhatsApp's multi-device update, so the phone does not need to be online for Web or desktop to work. You can link up to four devices. However, if your phone does not use WhatsApp for about 14 days, linked devices are signed out, and they must be linked again by scanning a QR code from the phone.

If WhatsApp Web will not load or connect, check the computer's internet connection, try another browser or the desktop app, clear the browser's cache for WhatsApp, and disable extensions that block scripts. Work and school networks sometimes block WhatsApp Web. On Windows PCs with network issues, our guides to fixing an unidentified network and VPN connected but no internet help.

Notifications for WhatsApp on smartwatches come through the phone's notification system, so a watch that shows nothing usually means notifications are blocked on the phone or for the watch app, not that WhatsApp is down.

The Windows desktop app updates through the Microsoft Store; if it stops connecting after a long time unused, update it from the Store's Library, or reinstall it and link it again from your phone's Linked devices menu.

Verification code not arriving

When you set up WhatsApp on a new phone or reinstall it, it sends a six-digit code by SMS to confirm your number. If it does not arrive, check that the number was entered correctly with the right country code, that the phone has signal and can receive texts, and that no SMS-blocking app is filtering it. Wait for the timer to finish, then choose Call me to receive the code by voice. Repeated requests trigger longer waits, so avoid requesting codes again and again.

Never share a WhatsApp verification code with anyone, even a friend or someone claiming to be from WhatsApp. Asking for the code is the most common way criminals take over accounts. Turn on two-step verification in Settings > Account, which adds a PIN that protects your account even if someone obtains a code.

WhatsApp also offers passkeys on supported phones, so you can sign in with your fingerprint, face or screen lock instead of an SMS code, which is both easier and harder to steal.

If you lose access to the phone number itself, such as a lost SIM abroad, contact your carrier to replace the SIM with the same number before setting up WhatsApp again, since verification depends on receiving a code on that number.

Banned accounts and unofficial apps

If WhatsApp says your number is banned from using WhatsApp, the account was blocked for breaking its terms, often for sending spam or bulk messages, or for using an unofficial modified version of the app, such as "GB WhatsApp" or similar clones. These modified apps are not supported, can carry malware, and lead to temporary or permanent bans. Uninstall any unofficial version, install the official app from the Play Store or App Store, and if you believe the ban is a mistake, use the in-app option to request a review.

A temporary ban usually shows a countdown; waiting it out and switching to the official app is the fix.

Businesses that send messages to many people should use WhatsApp's official business tools and only message people who have agreed to hear from them, since bulk unsolicited messaging is the most common reason for bans.

Photos, videos and voice notes will not send

When text sends but media does not, check storage first: WhatsApp needs space to prepare media. Then check WhatsApp's Settings > Storage and data: media auto-download settings affect receiving, and a Use less data for calls option affects calls. On weak connections, large videos may fail; WhatsApp compresses media, but very large files still take time. Try a smaller file, or send a photo as a document if quality matters. Our guide to what WhatsApp keeps in shared photos explains what happens to images when sent.

On Android, check that WhatsApp has permission to access photos and media; on iPhone, that it has access to the photos you want to send, in Settings > WhatsApp > Photos.

If media used to send fine and suddenly stopped after an update, clearing WhatsApp's cache on Android, or restarting the phone on iPhone, often resolves it.

Managing WhatsApp's storage

WhatsApp can quietly fill a phone with years of photos, videos and voice notes, especially from busy groups. Open Settings > Storage and data > Manage storage to see which chats use the most space and the largest files, and delete what you do not need. Turning off automatic media downloads for groups, in Storage and data > Media auto-download, stops new clutter. Freeing a few gigabytes this way often fixes sending problems on nearly full phones and speeds up backups too.

Before deleting media, make sure anything precious, such as family photos, is saved elsewhere, since deleting from WhatsApp's storage manager removes the files from the phone.

Large forwarded videos in groups are usually the biggest space users and the safest to clear.

WhatsApp calls failing or dropping

Calls need a steadier connection than messages. If messages work but calls fail, the connection is likely weak or unstable; move closer to the Wi-Fi router or try mobile data. Some networks, and some countries, restrict internet calling. Check that WhatsApp has microphone permission and, for video calls, camera permission. Bluetooth headsets sometimes take over audio unexpectedly; disconnect them to test. If calls drop when the screen turns off, battery optimization is usually to blame.

For important calls on a poor connection, an audio-only call holds up far better than video, and turning off Use less data for calls can improve quality when the connection is good but calls sound compressed.

If calls work on Wi-Fi but fail on mobile data, check that your plan allows internet calling and that WhatsApp is allowed mobile data in the phone's settings.

Calls from unknown numbers not ringing

If calls from people not in your contacts never ring, check Settings > Privacy > Calls > Silence unknown callers. When it is on, calls from unknown numbers are silenced and appear only in the call list, a useful spam filter that can also hide calls you wanted, such as from a delivery driver or a new colleague. Saving the person's number as a contact lets their calls ring normally.

The same privacy menu lets you choose who can add you to groups, which stops strangers dropping you into spam groups without permission.

Blocked networks, VPNs and proxies

Some Wi-Fi networks block messaging apps, and in some countries WhatsApp is restricted by authorities. A VPN may restore access, but VPNs can also cause problems of their own: if WhatsApp fails only with a VPN on, turn it off to test. WhatsApp also supports connecting through a proxy, a feature designed for people in places where it is blocked, set up in Settings > Storage and data > Proxy with a proxy address from a trusted source. Be careful about who runs any proxy or VPN you use, since they can see your connection metadata, though not your end-to-end encrypted messages.

On work or school Wi-Fi, ask the network's administrators whether messaging is blocked by policy; switching to mobile data during breaks may be the only option, and that is a rule to respect rather than work around on managed networks.

Traveling: roaming and data plans

Abroad, WhatsApp needs data like any internet app. If data roaming is off and you have no Wi-Fi, messages wait with a clock until you connect. Turn on roaming only if your plan covers it, or use a local or travel eSIM, or rely on Wi-Fi. When you change SIM cards while traveling, WhatsApp keeps working on your original number, since it is tied to the account, not the SIM, as long as you do not reinstall and need to verify again. Keep your home SIM's number able to receive an SMS in case WhatsApp asks for re-verification.

Before a trip, check that WhatsApp's backup is current and two-step verification is on, so a lost phone abroad does not also mean a lost account.

Old phones and unsupported versions

WhatsApp regularly ends support for older versions of Android and iOS, and for very old phones. When that happens, the app stops working on those devices, and messages will not send until you update the phone's operating system or move to a newer phone. WhatsApp's help center lists the currently supported versions. Also keep the app itself updated: very old versions of WhatsApp eventually stop connecting and prompt you to update.

If your phone cannot be updated to a supported version, you can still keep your chats: back them up and transfer them to a new phone using WhatsApp's chat transfer tools.

WhatsApp slow on older or cheaper phones

On phones with little memory or storage, WhatsApp can become slow to open and slow to send, especially with large group chats full of media. Clearing media from busy groups, turning off automatic media downloads, archiving chats you rarely open and keeping a few gigabytes of storage free make a noticeable difference. Closing other heavy apps helps too. If the phone is very old, updating it, where possible, often brings performance improvements as well as continued WhatsApp support.

WhatsApp's own Settings > Storage and data also shows network usage per type, which helps spot whether calls or media are using most of a limited data plan on budget phones.

Archiving rather than deleting old chats keeps their history while making the main list lighter to load.

Back up before reinstalling

Reinstalling WhatsApp is sometimes the last fix, but chats live only on your phone and in your backup. Before uninstalling, open Settings > Chats > Chat backup and run a backup to Google Drive on Android or iCloud on iPhone. Consider turning on end-to-end encrypted backup in the same menu, which protects the backup with a password or key that only you have; do not lose it, because WhatsApp cannot recover it. After reinstalling and verifying your number, WhatsApp offers to restore the backup.

Check the date of the last backup on the same screen; if it is weeks old, everything since then would be lost in a reinstall without a fresh backup first.

A WhatsApp health checklist

1. Date and time set to automatic.
2. WhatsApp allowed unrestricted battery and background data.
3. Notifications allowed and not muted unintentionally.
4. At least a few gigabytes of free storage.
5. App and phone software up to date.
6. Chat backup running regularly, ideally encrypted.
7. Two-step verification turned on.

A phone set up this way rarely has WhatsApp problems that are not outages, and when one happens, recovery is quick because the backup is current.

Run through it once on each family member's phone, especially for older relatives, and most of the calls about WhatsApp not working will never happen. Revisit it after any phone update, since major updates sometimes reset battery and background settings to defaults.

Moving WhatsApp to a new phone

Many "WhatsApp stopped working" moments happen around a phone change. To move WhatsApp properly, back up on the old phone, then install WhatsApp on the new one, verify your number and restore the backup. Moving between two Android phones or two iPhones works through the backup or a direct transfer option in WhatsApp's chat transfer settings. Moving between Android and iPhone uses WhatsApp's own transfer feature during setup, or the phone makers' migration tools, which can carry chat history across. Keep the old phone until you have confirmed chats and media arrived.

Your account can be active on only one phone at a time; registering on the new phone signs the old one out, though you can link other devices as companions.

If you are giving the old phone away, delete WhatsApp from it after the transfer is confirmed, then reset the phone fully.

What this page said in 2019

The original version of this page, from May 2019, reported that WhatsApp was down again for many users. Outages come and go within hours, so a news note goes out of date almost immediately. What lasts is knowing how to check whether an outage is real, and what to do when it is not. That is what this rewrite covers.

The page now covers every outage, past and future, by teaching the check rather than reporting one event.

Outages will keep happening occasionally, on every service; the habit of checking before changing anything is what saves time.

WhatsApp down or not sending: frequently asked questions

Ethan's mother now knows the difference between the clock and the checks, and she leaves WhatsApp out of her battery saver. The next time her messages stuck, a real outage that evening, she checked the news, saw others had the same problem, and simply waited. When something stops working, the first question is always whether it is just you. Answer that, and the fix, or the wait, becomes obvious.

Revision note. Written October 2, 2026, rewriting our 2019 note on a WhatsApp outage into a complete guide to checking outages and fixing WhatsApp messages that will not send. May your messages always reach two checks.