How To Fix WhatsApp Is Waiting For This Message

This how to guide will show you how to fix WhatsApp messages being temporarily unavailable.

Bradley Flemming

Bradley Flemming

How To Fix WhatsApp Is Waiting For This Message

Last Updated on

This article is going to show you how to fix ‘WhatsApp is waiting for this message’. So keep on reading to find out the causes and fixes to this problem. You may have come across this message before and the messages randomly appear after a while. You may be wondering why this is the case and if there is anything you can do to speed up the process. 

We will go over everything you need to know below.

What causes WhatsApp is waiting for this message?

There are a few reasons why this error occurs and we’ll go over them now.

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End-to-end encryption

As with many other messaging services like Signal, WhatsApp uses message encryption. This means that before a message is sent or received it is encrypted on the sender’s phone. This feature helps to keep chats private. One drawback of this is that WhatsApp waits for this process to be completed which sometimes results in an error occuring.

This process can be disrupted for many reasons, these include:

  • The sender or yourself is using an out-of-date version of WhatsApp
  • If someone in the chat has recently switched to a new device
  • The WhatsApp servers are down and the service has become temporarily unavailable
  • The Sender of the message force closes the app before the message can be encrypted.

Seeing the error message when talking with someone can be frustrating as it can cause delays in conversations. Luckily there are a few potential fixes that you can carry out. We’ll go over them below.

Wait for the message to send

Step

1

Wait for the message to send

Sometimes all you can do is wait for the issue to resolve itself. If it is an issue with end-to-end encryption then the sender may have to reopen WhatsApp on their phone or update the app. If the matter is urgent we suggest trying to contact them through another method such as SMS or email.

Check WhatsApp server status

Step

2

Check WhatsApp server status

WhatsApp might be temporarily unavailable because its servers are currently down for maintenance. You should check online if there is a server outage in your area. You can use an online site such as Downdetector. If it is down then all you can do is wait for the server to restart.

Update WhatsApp

You need to make sure you are running the latest version of WhatsApp. When the senders or your WhatsApp is running an outdated version there may be compatibility issues and bugs that occur. 

Step

3

Update WhatsApp

For an Android device, you will want to enter the Google Play Store, search for WhatsApp, and make sure you have the latest version installed.

If you are using an iPhone, you should enter the App Store and look for WhatsApp, then install the most recent update.

Clear WhatsApp data or reinstall WhatsApp

If this error is happening with multiple chats then the issue is most likely to do with your device. Before you uninstall WhatsApp you will want to create a backup so that your chat history can be saved. You will want to make sure that Chat Backup is enabled. You can either create a local storage backup or a backup on Google Drive for Android phones or on iCloud if you have an iOS device.

Clear WhatsApp data or reinstall WhatsApp – Android

To reinstall WhatsApp on an Android device follow these steps:

Step

4

Reinstall WhatsApp – Android

    1. On your phones home screen or app library locate WhatsApp
    2. Long press on the WhatsApp icon
    3. From the menu select uninstall
    4. Now reinstall WhatsApp from the Google Play Store

When you reinstall WhatsApp you will need to verify your phone number and choose to restore chat history from either Google Drive or local storage.

To clear WhatsApp data on an Android follow these steps:

Step

5

Clear WhatsApp Data – Android

    1. Go to settings.
    2. Select Apps & Notifications.
    3. Tap on App info.
    4. Choose WhatsApp.
    5. Select Storage and Chache and then clear storage.

Reinstall WhatsApp – iPhone

Deleting and reinstalling WhatsApp on iOS differs slightly but is still easy to follow.

Step

6

Reinstall WhatsApp – iPhone

    1. On your iPhone’s home screen find WhatsApp
    2. Long press the icon.
    3. At the bottom of the menu select Remove App.
    4. Then choose Delete App.
    5. Now reinstall WhatsApp from the App Store.

Final thoughts

When you see the placeholder message ‘Waiting for this message. This may take a while.’ It can be slightly confusing or frustrating. Luckily there are a few solutions to the issue. Hopefully, with this guide you have learned how to fix the ‘WhatsApp is waiting for this message’ problem, however, if you are still experiencing issues then we suggest you contact WhatsApp customer support.