While other messaging apps for Android force you to make separate accounts, this one simply takes your contacts and makes them usable. There are a lot of features available on WhatsApp that make it one of the best and most used apps on Google Play Store. If it is not running well on your Android device, this is a cause for concern. This article will be listing some of the major WhatsApp problems and help you troubleshoot those as well. There are a lot of factors that may come into play when problem-solving and app not running well on a device. From network to Internet connectivity and device compatibility to specifications, all play a major role on Android. With thousands of smartphones featuring different hardware, it is almost impossible to pinpoint a single problem. However, these problems are the most faced ones and we have researched a lot to arrive at a probable solution. I really hope that the problems listed here will be solved by using the methods we have detailed. So without further ado, let’s start with the basic ones and move on to bit obscure problems with WhatsApp.
WhatsApp Problems and Troubleshooting for Android
1. WhatsApp Won’t Install
One common problem people are facing is that WhatsApp won’t install on their device. There are a few solutions to this problem but first, you need to make sure your device is compatible. WhatsApp can only be installed on Android devices running Android 2.1 or higher. You need to make sure that your device is relatively new and runs a fairly recent version of the Android OS. In order to check that, simply head to the Settings of your smartphone and tap on the About Phone option. Once you’ve made sure that your device is running a recent version of Android, download the latest version of the app from Google Play Store. Still, if Google Play Store is not allowing you to download the app automatically, you can head over to the official WhatsApp website and download the APK file. After that, place the file on your smartphone’s internal memory and install it like a third-party app. In order to install apps obtained from unknown sources, you’ll have to go to Settings> Security> Unknown Sources. After that, you will be able to install WhatsApp.
2. WhatsApp Not Connecting
Usually, any kind of connection problems can be traced back to a spotty network connection or even bad Wi-Fi signal. If WhatsApp is not even connecting on your Android device, there are some solutions that you can try:
Check if you are connected to the Internet.See if 3G or 4G connectivity is present in your area.Open a random page in a web browser and see if it loads properly.You can clear the cache of the app by going into Settings> Applications>WhatsApp and selecting the Clear Cache option.If nothing has worked so far, you can simply uninstall the app and download it again.Do a simple reboot of your smartphone or tablet, see if that works for you.There are times when WhatsApp servers are down; I recommend that you wait a little while if you suspect that is the case.
3. How to Hide “Last Seen” on WhatsApp
The “Last Seen” feature on WhatsApp is like a double-edged sword; it can be helpful but in most cases it’s simply annoying. This timestamp informs you that when a certain person was last using WhatsApp. It doesn’t tell you about anything else other than that. However, it can become troublesome when you tell someone that you’re going to sleep but they can easily check out your last seen status. In order to remove this from your experience, all you need to do is go to the Settings> Accounts> Privacy. Once in that menu, you can find Last Seen and set it to “Nobody” from the options that show up. Now nobody will know when you were last using WhatsApp. However, selecting this option will also render you unable to see who was online on WhatsApp either.
4. Cannot See “Last Seen” on WhatsApp
If you’re interested in a particular person and you simply cannot see when they were last online, this can be a problem. There are multiple reasons why you cannot see their last seen status. For one, you might have disabled your own last seen status by using the above solution. In order to reactivate that go to Settings> Accounts> Previously> Last Seen and open it for everyone. Still if you have no luck seeing the status of a particular contact, then it means that they have disabled their own “Last Seen” option. Another drastic reason for this might be that you are blocked by them. In order to test this, simply send a text to the person and if you receive a reply back then you’re good. Otherwise, it’s sad to say that they have blocked you off.
5. WhatsApp Not Finding Contacts
WhatsApp uses your phone’s contacts to populate the lists so is a major concern if they don’t show up. There can be multiple reasons why WhatsApp wasn’t able to find contacts on your device. One of the most common problems here is that the contacts are not set as visible. Rectify that simply head in your contact list and make sure the Show All Contacts option is checked. If you have made multiple groups in the contact list, make sure that each group is set to visible. If you’re still not seeing any particular contact on WhatsApp, you have to make sure that you have the correct numbers stored in the first place. You should also head over to the Google play store to check for the latest version of WhatsApp.
6. WhatsApp Not Recognizing International Contacts
This can happen to a lot of us, enter in an international number and it doesn’t show up in your contacts. The thing is every international number needs to have a code in front of the actual number. For example, if you are trying to add a number that belongs to a person residing in the United Kingdom, you’ll need to add +44 in front of the regular number. It is a very simple problem that even I faced when trying to add contacts from the UK on WhatsApp. Thankfully, you don’t have to add your own country code in front of local numbers; at least you won’t be bothered with the majority of your contacts.
7. Blocking a Contact on WhatsApp
Some people are annoying and some people deserve to be blocked permanently from your life. Everyone has certain problems with creeps and clingy ex-girlfriend/boyfriend. Thankfully, you’ll be easily able to block their contact from WhatsApp and hopefully from your life. In order to block a contact head into a conversation with the person you need to block. You’ll find three horizontal dots on the upper right corner of the screen. Tap them and select the “More” option. From there simply click on Block. And there you go, you’ve successfully blocked that particular contact.
8. Backup Feature on WhatsApp
The newer version of WhatsApp has introduced a method of backing up all of your messages and even photos. Now WhatsApp supports Google Drive backups and it is a phenomenally great method of ensuring your messages are kept safe. To set it up, go to Settings> Chats> Chat Backup. You will also be able to select how frequently WhatsApp does the backups. I also like that the developers have included an option of only doing backups when you are connected to Wi-Fi.
9. The Tick Marks on WhatsApp
You might have seen the sometimes grey, sometimes blue check marks in front of any messages you send. It might be confusing to see them on the app so here is a handy yet short guide on what they mean:
One grey tick means that your messages have been sent and WhatsApp has it now.Double grey tick marks mean that the WhatsApp server has delivered the message to the recipient.Two blue marks mean that the other person has read your message.A clock icon means that the message is yet to be sent from your device.
10. How to Hide Blue Ticks on WhatsApp
If you don’t want anyone to know that you have read their message with the blue ticks, there is a solution for that as well. For example, you are not in the mood to reply to a particular message and you know that the other person will feel bad after knowing that you have read it. In order to stop those blue checkmarks from appearing on the messages you have read, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Read Receipts and disable them.
11. Cannot Send Pictures and Media
Another problem a lot of WhatsApp users face is being not able to send pictures from their device. There are many factors that can influence this error and thankfully we have multiple ways to solve this problem. One such solution is to clear the app data of WhatsApp and start anew. You can do this by going into Settings > Application Manager > WhatsApp and selecting the clear data option. It will delete all the extra data WhatsApp is storing on the device and allow you to start afresh. Another problem can be associated with the hardware, mostly your microSD card. You should reinsert your MicroSD card into the phone and make sure it is properly seated. If your card is switched to a read-only mode, this can be a problem as well.
Conclusion
These were some of the most common WhatsApp problems and their solutions. I really hope that this article removed any problem you were facing with the app. If you have any questions or even a unique problem with WhatsApp, feel free to talk to us in the comments below. We will be sure to help. Feature Image Credits
