WhatsApp FAQ

• What is it?
• Can I also chat with my BlackBerry contacts?
• How is WhatsApp Messenger different from SMS?
• Help, my Push Notifications are broken!
• My iPhone is unlocked and/or jailbroken and push doesn't work.
• My iPhone is jailbroken and WhatsApp crashes when I first run it.
• When I travel abroad / overseas, will I be charged for data roaming?
• Are phone calls free when using WhatsApp?
• What are those green checkmarks next to my messages?
• Why use the status functionality of WhatsApp?
• What makes WhatsApp unique?
• How do I sign up?
• My friend downloaded and installed WhatsApp but i can't chat with him/her... Why?
• How do you use iPhone Push Notifications?
• What Apple devices do you support?
• Do you support iPod touch?
• How can my contacts get WhatsApp?
• Will my status remain visible if my phone is turned off?
• Does the status I set expire automatically? Can I set it to expire at a certain time?
• Will you support other Smartphones?
• How long can my custom status be?
• What countries do you support?
• I changed my phone number, how can I update WhatsApp
• How can I contact WhatsApp with questions, suggestions, or feedback?
• Why do you ask for my phone number?
• How do I clear my status on the iPhone?
• Help me, I use T-Mobile and I can't connect

WhatsApp BlackBerry FAQ

• Do I have to pay to re-install WhatsApp on my BlackBerry?
• How can I move WhatsApp Icon to my home screen?
• My WhatsApp Messenger for BlackBerry is not working, help me!
• Does WhatsApp work with BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS)?
• What BlackBerry devices do you support?
• When I try to install, your website says that no valid BlackBerry browser was detected
• How can I get sound and vibration alerts for new messages?
• I get strange application permission errors, how can I fix them

What is it?

WhatsApp is a Smartphone-2-Smartphone instant messenger application and chat service that works over your existing internet data plan. Because WhatsApp uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, there is no cost to message and stay in touch with your friends.

Can I also chat with my BlackBerry contacts?

Yes! Have your BlackBerry friends download WhatsApp Messenger for BlackBerry from our OTA site

How is WhatsApp Messenger different from SMS?

SMS is an older messaging system with limited functionality and higher cost. WhatsApp Messenger aims to provide more functionality at a lower cost. We are sure you and your friends will figure out the difference quickly after using WhatsApp to communicate with your friends.

Help, my Push Notifications are broken!

There could be a few reasons you are not getting push notifications with a few different solutions. Let's go through them one by one and try to resolve the problem.

The first reason, and the easiest one to fix, is that you simply have notifications disabled in the iPhone Settings. To fix that, perform the following steps below.

launch iPhone Settings and tap on the Notifications menu:

Make sure that WhatsApp Notifications are turned On for the Badges, Alerts, and Sounds:

After enabling push notifcations for WhatsApp in the iPhone Settings, you MUST turn Airplane Mode On for 30 seconds and turn it back Off:

OK, now launch WhatsApp so that it can register itself with Apple Push Notifcation Services. After performing all of the above steps, you should be all set.

However... if you are one of the unlucky ones who are still having problems after performing the steps above, AND you are connected via Wi-Fi, there are two additional steps you can try to resolve the issue:

First step is contacting your network administrator and confirming that port 5223/TCP is not blocked by the Wi-Fi firewall. You can point your network administrator at the Knowledge Base HT3576

Second step is changing the DNS servers your Wi-Fi network is currently utilizing and replacing them with 8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4:

After changing DNS servers, you MUST turn Airplane Mode On for 30 seconds and turn it back Off.

And if you are still having problems receiving push notifications when on Wi-Fi, the last and final step you can try is to disable any kind of DNS Proxy on your home/office Wi-Fi router. You can do that via an admin web interface. For example, our office WRTP54G router has a setting called "DNS Proxy", which we had to Disable in order to get push working on our iPod touch:

Are you still reading? Still having problems? Really? Well, if this is the case, the last and final thing you can do is to perform the follwing steps:

1. Create a backup of your iPhone with iTunes. You can learn more about backing up your iPhone at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766
2. Erase all your data and settings from your iPhone via Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings
3. Upgrade to latest iPhone OS (currently version 3.1.2)
4. Restore all your personal data that you backed-up in step 1.
5. Make a sacrifice to the Push Notification Gods and turn on your iPhone.

Special note ONLY for those who have an unlocked iPhone which was never activated with Apple via iTunes: to learn more about your push notification problem, take a look at this thread or just google for push+fix+iphone. Also take a look at the FAQ entry below:

My iPhone is unlocked and/or jailbroken and push doesn't work.

If your iPhone is unlocked and/or jailbroken and it was never properly activated with Apple, it is very common for those iPhones to have broken push notifications. You should head over to http://www.pushfix.info/ to get that resolved. There is also a very nice page with many solutions to the problems jailbroken/unlocked iPhone users can experience: http://pushfix.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35. Be sure to delete and re-install a fresh copy of the application on your device after applying a pushfix solution!

My iPhone is jailbroken and WhatsApp crashes when I first run it.

This must be because you have the Net.-Local Number Format package installed from Cydia. This package seems to break the standard iPhone APIs which our application depends on. Simply delete this package and re-install it after WhatsApp is configured and running on your iPhone. Another, and much simpler, solution is to clear the country code field, enter your phone number and select your country code before continuing.

When I travel abroad / overseas, will I be charged for data roaming?

Possibly. WhatsApp uses the same internet data plan that you use for web and email. If you would normally get data roaming charges when traveling abroad / overseas for email and web, WhatsApp would be no different. Of course WhatsApp would be free to use over a Wi-Fi connection. To confirm that your data roaming is disabled, go into iPhone Settings > General > Network > Data Roaming and make sure it is set to Off:

And don't forget to set your WhatsApp status to "I am currently roaming abroad, will reply back when I am on Wi-Fi" -- this way your friends will know why you are not answering right away :)

Are phone calls free when using WhatsApp?

No, the "Call" functionality is there simply for your convenience if you decide to call somebody

What are those green checkmarks next to my messages?

We are glad you asked. These green checkmarks are actually very important since they function as message delivery acknowledgement indicators. Here is what they mean:

- message successfully delivered to the server.

- message succesfully delivered to the device of the chat partner.

Why use the status functionality of WhatsApp?

You can use the Status functionality of WhatsApp to inform your contacts about your mobile availability or anything else you'd like. For example:

• You are in a meeting and it is best to send you a WhatsApp Message or an email
• You are about to get on a plane and can only be reached after a certain time
• You are at the gym and don't have your phone handy
• Your battery is about to die and you prefer calls on your work number
• Or you are sleeping, in a class, at the movies, or at a loud concert

What makes WhatsApp unique?

WhatsApp automatically works with your existing iPhone Contacts. There is no hassle of adding friends, creating accounts, or memorizing and sharing PINs and login names.

How do I sign up?

No sign up is necessary! Simply download WhatsApp to your iPhone or BlackBerry device and it will automatically work. We promise:)

My friend downloaded and installed WhatsApp but i can't chat with him/her... Why?

This issue rarely happens since our app is quite smart, but in case you do run into this problem, make sure your friend's phone number is saved in your Address Book with a full international format starting with the + sign.

How do you use iPhone Push Notifications?

WhatsApp will always send you Push Notifications when you have new and unread chat messages from a contact.

What Apple devices do you support?

We support all iPhone and iPod touch devices no matter how old or new, as long they are running iPhone OS 3.0 and up. Please read the FAQ entry below for important information regarding iPod touch support.

Do you support iPod touch?

You can use WhatsApp Messenger on iPod touch, but please be aware of the following caveats:

• WhatsApp requires a functioning mobile telephone number during the signup process. This number would be used to send and receive WhatsApp messages to and from your contacts. A large number of our users utilize non-Smartphone mobile handsets in conjunction with WhatsApp Messenger on their iPod touch quite successfully.
• Please be aware that an iPod touch turns off the WiFi radio when it is unplugged and in sleep mode (screen turned off). You will not receive new message notifications when your iPod touch is in this state. For the best experience, try to keep your iPod touch connected to power source as much as possible.
• Finally, please make sure that friends and contacts you want to communicate with already exist in your iPod touch address book.

How can my contacts get WhatsApp?

There is a "Tell a Friend" feature that you can use to tell your friends about WhatsApp. After you select your contacts, WhatsApp will send them a link to our download page. Your friends can also visit our Download page.

Will my status remain visible if my phone is turned off?

Yes, your status will continue to stay visible to your contacts.

Does the status I set expire automatically? Can I set it to expire at a certain time?

Yes, you can configure your status to expire automatically. You also have the option of setting a new status to be displayed after the current one expires.

Will you support other Smartphones?

There is no denying it, we love our iPhones and BlackBerries! Indeed, we do plan to support other Smartphones in the future.

How long can my custom status be?

We limit the status length to 139 characters.

What countries do you support?

All of them!

I changed my phone number, how can I update WhatsApp

First, be sure to tell your contacts that you have a new phone number. The WhatsApp broadcast feature is a good way of telling people your new phone number. Then, simply delete and re-install WhatsApp and register with your new number.

How can I contact WhatsApp with questions, suggestions, or feedback?

We would love to hear from you. Please E-mail us at feedback@whatsapp.com

Why do you ask for my phone number?

We ask for your phone number because that is how WhatsApp routes chat messages between you and your contacts, similar to how the regular SMS system would. We value your privacy and we have not, do not and will not ever sell your personal information to anyone. If you would like to learn more about our Privacy Policy, please take a look at our Privacy Notice.

How do I clear my status on the iPhone?

Flick down to the bottom of the status list to find a "Clear Status" button.

Help me, I use T-Mobile and I can't connect

Please upgrade your plan to Web n Walk plus. One of our users on T-Mobile UK had this to report back to us:
T-Mobile UK are in fact port blocking to ensure fair usage on their base Web and Walk Plan. I have upgraded to Web and Walk Plus and as a result the port blocks are lifted and I get a higher data allowance!

We were also recently contacted by T-Mobile UK, who stated the following:
Any smart phone (iphone, android etc) that is bought directly from T-Mobile should be automatically provisioned with Web n Walk plus, if customers have bought a handset sim free then they will need to call customer services and get this added. It is free of charge for most price plans (including new plans) but some older plans will generate a charge of £5pm for this.

Do I have to pay to re-install WhatsApp on my BlackBerry?

No, simply download it again from http://www.whatsapp.com/ota/

How can I move WhatsApp Icon to my home screen?

When you first download and install WhatsApp, it will be placed into your Downloads folder:

To move WhatsApp into your Home Screen, go into your Downloads folder, select WhatsApp icon with the trackball, press on the Menu key and choose Move To Folder:

Select Home to move WhatsApp application icon to your Home screen:

My WhatsApp Messenger for BlackBerry is not working, help me!

Please email us a Diagnostics Report from your BlackBerry. To do that, go into Settings > Options > Mobile Network > Diagnostics Test and select Run from the menu to run the Report. After the Diagnostics Report is finished, select Email Report from the menu and send it to support@whatsapp.com. You can include your problem description in the same email or compose a separate one.

Does WhatsApp work with BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS)?

Yes, WhatsApp works with both BIS and BES, as long as the IT policy of your BlackBerry device will not get in the way.

What BlackBerry devices do you support?

We support all modern BlackBerry devices as long as they are running BlackBerry OS 4.5 and up.

When I try to install, your website says that no valid BlackBerry browser was detected

This is most likely because you configured your BlackBerry Browser to not identify itself as such. To fix this, launch the Browser on the device and go into Options > Browser Configuration and make sure that Browser Identification is set to BlackBerry and not Firefox or Internet Explorer:

How can I get sound and vibration alerts for new messages?

To customize WhatsApp alerts, go into WhatsApp Settings and select "System Profiles". In the "System Profiles", select "Advanced" at the bottom to be presented with the list of your profiles:

Next, select "Edit" to get into edit mode of the profile you would like to edit:

Next, scroll down to the very bottom and click on the "WhatsApp New Message" notification entry to edit how you would like to get notified of the new message:

Remember to save these new settings when you exit "Profiles"

I get strange application permission errors, how can I fix them

If you get "Uncaught exception: net.rim.device.api.system.ControlledAccessException" error, it is possible that you did not grant proper permissions to WhatsApp or that your settings got corrupted. To fix the problem go into Settings > Options > Advanced Options (if your OS is pre-5.0) and select 'Applications' menu. Choose WhatsApp and select Edit Permissions:

Set WhatsApp Permissions to Allow and Save:

After saving new permissions, reboot your BlackBerry by removing battery from the device

If you are still having problems performing the above steps, go to Options -> Security Options -> Firewall, and select Reset Firewall from the menu. Be sure to Save and reboot your BlackBerry by removing battery from it for 30 seconds.