Can’t connect to WhatsApp
Android
iOS
KaiOS
Web and Desktop
Windows
Mac
If you can’t connect to WhatsApp, or send or receive messages, you might not have an internet connection.
To check your device’s internet connection:
- See if there's a clock icon next to your messages instead of a check mark. If you see a clock icon, it means your messages aren't getting delivered.
- Check the network signal on your device to see if it's blinking or empty.
- Open a webpage in your device's browser to see if it loads. If it does, your device is connected to the internet.
Steps to try
Many connection issues can be resolved by trying the below steps.
Device settings
- Restart your device by turning it off and on again.
- Make sure mobile data is turned on.
- Turn Airplane mode on and off.
- Allow background data usage data.
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version available on the Google Play Store.
- Upgrade your Android operating system to the latest version available for your device.
- Turn off roaming.
Note: WhatsApp isn't designed to be used with VPN services. We don’t support these configurations.
Internet connection
- Make sure the Wi-Fi or data network signal strength is good and the device is connected to the network.
- Make sure you have a data plan on your mobile provider’s network, or a Wi-Fi connection with internet access.
- Turn Wi-Fi off and on.
- Try connecting to different Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Make sure Wi-Fi stays on during sleep mode.
- Reboot your Wi-Fi router.
- Contact your mobile provider and make sure your APN settings are configured correctly.
- If you can't connect to WhatsApp on a Wi-Fi network that you don't normally connect to, contact the network administrator.
- Make sure your connection isn't on a managed Wi-Fi network, such as at your office or university campus. Your network might be configured to block or limit connections.
If you can connect to other apps on your data network, but not WhatsApp, your mobile provider may have configured your wireless access points to block certain chat apps.
Contact your mobile provider and ask them about different access point settings to run chat apps. They'll guide you through a process where you’ll manually configure your data network and web settings.
Related resources:
How to manage your notifications
