Okay, we all use Whatsapp and in fact, there are 1.5 billion users who use Whatsapp Messenger to do their daily communication with friends, colleagues, acquaintances, family, and relatives. Now, Whatsapp covers business and transactions too. Whatsapp has a great team of developers who work round the clock to provide the best of services to all its users across Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, and other platforms which makes it a multi-platform app backed by a great team of developers. Why I am saying this is because there are little chances that the Whatsapp will report any error or it won’t respond to your device because it is too light on the processor. But that doesn’t mean it won’t crash at all. In fact, there are plenty of users who have reported the issue that their WhatsApp keeps crashing.
According to the readers, they have been getting errors while using Whatsapp on their phone. There is an error which hops up frequently amidst the hay of comments i.e. “Unfortunately Whatsapp has stopped”. Okay, so there are different explanations that can create such an error. Similarly, there are errors such as “Waiting for the message. This may take a while *Learn more*”. Sometimes it is messages that result in the app being crashed all of a sudden. But if you are having such issues on your phone while using Whatsapp, you are in the right place. At GetDroidTips, we have compiled all the possible troubleshooting tricks, tips and more that will help you get the app up and running in no time.
We tried the tricks on a number of phones from different make and model which performed really well. However, now that there are an array of smartphones with varying configurations, the effects of these tips can vary. So, let’s get started with the simple tricks and tips that you can try and get the app running properly.
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How to Fix WhatsApp that keeps crashing on Your Device?
Okay, so as I aforementioned that there could be many explanations why you received the error “Unfortunately, Whatsapp has stopped”. The very first thing you should know that if such an error pops up on the screen, the app is to be blamed and not your phone, at least entirely. Let’s dive into the tricks you should do to curb the fix on the go.
Tip #1 – Reboot the smartphone
Believe it or not but rebooting the smartphone usually fixes minor firmware issues such as when WhatsApp keeps crashing or any other app. It can be due to overloading or excess processes running on the system. Other favorable reasons are if the firmware has developed a minor issue while accessing WhatsApp which could pose a problem for the system to keep running it. Since WhatsApp remains active throughout the day in the background, it uses resources and memory which can be a problem for the system at that very moment when it crashed.
The easy way out to fix the issue is to reboot the phone at once. It won’t take much time but it will, in turn, save your efforts if you stick to try and open the apps constantly even it closes abruptly. Rebooting the device is fairly simple. You just need to press the Power button for 2 to 3 seconds, then tap on ‘Reboot’ option from the dialog box and the system will perform a complete reboot automatically. Another method to perform if rebooting doesn’t work is to perform a forced reboot for which, you need to press the Power button for 10 seconds which might do the magic.
Tip #2 – Clear Cache Memory
Cache is a temporary memory which stores bits of data when users open or use any app or services in order to retrieve it again quickly when needed. But, Android smartphones are prone to have greater cache memory which causes performance issues, freezing, flickering, and what not. It is also associated with an error where WhatsApp keeps crashing but it is not confined to WhatsApp only. Every app on your system is the prey and when the cache memory is higher, the apps are bound to crash often. Now, there are basically two ways on how you can clear the cache memory. This particular tip is based on clearing the cache stored on your phone while the next tip is based on clearing the cache specifically for the Whatsapp.
- First, touch on the home screen and go to the display where all the apps are displayed i.e. Menu.
- Next step is to scroll and tap on ‘Settings’ app.
- Then, proceed to the ‘Storage’ or ‘Memory’ or similar words which vary from model to model.
- Now, scroll down the screen and search for ‘Cache Memory’.
- The phone will automatically calculate the amount of cache memory stored.
- Once it is calculated, tap on it that will give you a dialog box asking if you want to delete the cache memory or not.
- Accept by hitting ‘OK’ and there you have it.
You have successfully cleared the cache memory which could potentially cause apps to crash often. The only way to know if the trick worked or not is to open Whatsapp and use it for a while. If it is working properly, then it implies that cache memory was the culprit. If not, move towards another tip mentioned below.
Tip #3 – Reset Whatsapp
Resetting the WhatsApp works in the majority of cases. You know the cache memory as I aforementioned, it stores bits of information about the last session on the app or service. It means that if the last session ended abruptly such as the WhatsApp keeps crashing error, then the app will likely to crash in the next session with the same cache memory stored. So, to ward off this issue when you open the app again. Here is the procedure to do the same.
- First, open Settings from the menu and go to ‘Apps’.
- This is where you will get all the apps installed on your phone.
- Go to ‘Downloaded’ section and search for Whatsapp which must be at the bottom of the page.
- Tap on the app and then click on ‘Clear Cache’ and ‘Clear Data’ to delete both cache memory and data.
- This will reset the app after which, you will have to log in using the same phone number to get started again.
Tip #4 – Update Whatsapp
Whatsapp is a lightweight, multi-platform app that will work on any system with the majority of specifications available without any problem. But, if you are using the app without updating it often, you will soon attract bugs. These are minor errors that curtail the performance of the app. When you update WhatsApp, you are actually getting rid of bugs introduced in the previous version as well as you will get new features on your phone. This will also help you get rid of WhatsApp keeps crashing issue as well.
- To update Whatsapp on your phone, go to the Google Play Store.
- Tap on three horizontal lines on the top left corner of the screen and then click on My apps and games OR you can search for Whatsapp as well.
- Check if there is an update available or not. If yes, tap on Update button.
Try Whatsapp after it updates as it must have solved the problem so far. Don’t worry if it didn’t because there are two more tips available below.
Tip #5 – Reinstall Whatsapp
If Whatsapp still crashes even after you followed all the tips mentioned here, maybe the app is the problem itself. You can reinstall the app, however, you need to backup the data first to prevent loss of data. Now, follow this procedure mentioned below.
- Firstly, open Settings on your phone and then proceed towards the Apps where you can find all the apps installed.
- Now, scroll down the screen and tap on Whatsapp.
- Then, tap on the Uninstall button and confirm the set of the uninstallation process.
- Once you have uninstalled the app, reboot the safe just to be on the safe side.
- Upon boot, go to Google Play Store, type in Whatsapp and tap on the download button.
- Accept when a permission seeking dialog box appear and install the app on your smartphone.
- Enter your contact details and initiate the app. It must function properly by now.
Tip #6 – Perform a master reset
Rebooting and reinstalling were the basic tips you could follow but this is a master reset or a factory data reset. It erases the data from the phone completely leaving no traces. It rewinds itself to the original factory settings. It will solve most of the firmware and software related problems such as WhatsApp keeps crashing issue, apps not working, apps closes abruptly, screen freezing, flickering, etc. So, if you want to get rid of this issue, follow these steps and it shall work wonders.
FDR using reset feature
There are basically two ways how you can do a factory reset. Here is the first method where you employ the built-in reset feature.
- Go to the Settings app on your phone. Scroll down towards ‘Backup and Reset’ feature.
- Tap on “Reset all data“, then enter the password or PIN as asked.
- Finally, tap on ‘Erase Everything’ and let the phone perform the function itself.
- Remember to keep the battery level at least over 20% so that the FDR can take place without any errors.
FDR using Hardware keys
This process is technical since it requires some basic knowledge about the smartphone. But don’t worry because we got your back.
- First of all, switch off the phone and let the turned off for few seconds.
- Now, the next step can be confusing since depending upon the make and model, your phone could have either three or four buttons that is a home button, power button, volume up and volume down.
- To enter into recovery mode, you need to press Volume Up/Down key and power button or home button depending on your smartphone and hold it for 30 to 40 seconds.
- Once the Android logo appears on the screen, release the keys.
- Now, you need to scroll down using the Volume Up/down button towards the option “wipe data/factory reset” and then, tap on “Yes – delete all user data”.
- Let the system complete the factory reset procedure.
- Now, tap on ‘Reboot System Now’ to — reboot it.
These are few methods that you can employ to fix the issue “WhatsApp keeps crashing” and hopefully, it will be worthy. GetDroidTips is packed with tips and tricks on Android and iOS devices, so do check ‘em out. Also, let us know if these tricks helped you or not so that we can get back with more of such content.