If you are having a problem with WhatsApp not showing or receiving messages on the iPhone, there are a number of things that could be causing the issue. This guide has been designed with the aim of assisting you in understanding and diagnosing the barriers that are preventing you from getting your WhatsApp messages on your iPhone.
There is a broad array of circumstances or technicalities that could be acting as a blockade, hindering WhatsApp messages from being successfully delivered to your iPhone. Similarly, there are just as many possible remedial measures that could potentially resolve this issue. Each situation is unique and might require a different approach to address the problem.
The below given quick links are provided to make your navigation through this guide easier. They will swiftly direct you to various sections of this document, each addressing different possibilities and their respective solutions for this WhatsApp-related problem you are experiencing. In essence, whether your issue is caused by a simple setting mishap or something more intricate, this guide should prove invaluable in helping you to restore your iPhone’s WhatsApp functionality.
Fix WhatsApp messages not coming through to iPhone
- Turn on Background App Refresh
- Enable Mobile Data
- Unmute conversations
- Turn off Focus Mode
- Restart your iPhone
Turn on Background App Refresh for WhatsApp
One of the most common issues and also the easiest fixes for WhatsApp messages not coming through to your device occurs when Background App Refresh is turned off for the app.
This happened to me recently, the WhatsApp messages would not come through to my device until I opened WhatsApp. as soon as I opened the app, the messages would come through.
To check that Background App Refresh is turned on for your WhatsApp app, go to Settings > WhatsApp and then scroll down to the bottom and see if the toggle for Background App Refresh is green, if it is grey it means it is turned off. Slide the toggle to the right until it turns green.
This is one of the most common causes of when you are not receiving your WhatsApp messages, if this has not resolved the issue, you can try one of the other steps below.
Enable Mobile Data for WhatsApp
Another common problem when you are not receiving your WhatsApp messages can be related to mobile data.
You may have your device and app settings so that it does not use mobile data for the app, if this is the case then you will receive the messages when you are connected to WiFi but not when you are using your mobile network.
To check that Mobile Data is enabled for WhatsApp go to Settings > WhatsApp and scroll down to the bottom until you see Mobile Data. If this is grey then it is turned off, slide the toggle to the right until the toggle turns green. This will ensure that you receive WhatsApp messages over mobile data. If this does not work, try one of the other tips below.
Unmute individual conversations on WhatsApp
WhatsApp offers the option to mute specific conversations with people, you may have inadvertently muted someone and this could be why you are not receiving messages on your device.
Open WhatsApp on your iPhone and select the conversation you suspect you may not be getting the messages on. Select the person’s name from the top of the conversation. If they are muted you will see an Unmute option on your display, select that option and you will start to receive messages from that person again.
Turn off Focus Mode for WhatsApp
Apple’s Focus Mode is designed to help you cut down on distractions if you have this setting turned on and WhatsApp is disabled during Focus Mode you will not receive any notifications.
To change this open the Settings app on your iPhone and select Focus, you will see a range of different Focus Modes like Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep, Work, and any more that you have created yourself.
Check each one of these to make sure that notifications from WhatsApp are not turned off in each different mode. Select the Focus Mode, for example, Personal, and at the top, you will see Allow Notifications, there are two options for this People and Apps, select apps and then you will see which apps are allowed to send you notifications during that Focus Mode, if WhatsApp is not in there, press the + to add it. You will now receive notifications from WhatsApp during that focus mode.
Restart your iPhone
There are sometimes issues on your iPhone where a quick restart of the device can resolve many issues. To try this option reboot your iPhone.
The way this is done will vary depending on which model of the iPhone you have and also which version of Apple’s iOS you are running. You can find out full details on how to restart your iPhone in our handy guide. This may resolve the issue, check your WhatsApp messages to see if this has fixed the problem.
Conclusion
We hope that these tips help you resolve any issues you are having with not receiving messages on WhatsApp, if you are still having problems, then there could be an issue with WhatsApp, you can check the current status of the app over at Twitter.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions on how we can improve this guide, please leave a comment below and let us know.
Image Credit: Adem AY
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