Over the years, several amazing features have been added to WhatsApp which makes it one of the best sought-after messaging apps for both old and young. The WhatsApp audio note is one such feature that provides a more easier and comfortable way to send messages fast to contact rather than typing long texts.
However, it can be frustrating when the recipient of the audio notes can’t open or listen to your voice notes after a long talk. This post will show you the possible reasons and how to fix WhatsApp audio not working.
WhatsApp audio notes help convey your message with emotions just the way you want it to be delivered as if you can see the person physically. If you are lazy at typing long texts, then using audio notes is the perfect bet for you to quickly convey your message to the receiver.
This amazing feature has also helped the aged who usually have eye issues especially when it comes to screen and typing platforms, they rather do a WhatsApp audio note and send it to their loved ones who get their messages faster and can also respond as fast as possible.
So, stay tuned as we walk you through how to fix WhatsApp audio not working in this guide.
Why are WhatsApp Audio Notes not Working or Playing?
On WhatsApp, you may occasionally be unable to send or play an audio note. You may be wondering why your WhatsApp voice message isn’t working. Well, here are a few typical reasons why WhatsApp won’t let you send or listen to voice messages.
Get to know these reasons first, then you can discover the solution to the WhatsApp voice message issue. Some of the reasons why WhatsApp Audio notes are not playing are as follows:
- The volume on your smartphone is too low: The speaker level on your smartphone is probably too low for you to hear a voice message.
- Your microphone is not accessible to WhatsApp: You can’t record a voice message to transmit to someone if WhatsApp doesn’t have access to your microphone.
- It has been a while since your last update to WhatsApp.
- All of the apps on your device often need to be updated frequently to work correctly because outdated versions might lead to issues.
- Incompatible versions of WhatsApp might result in audio issues.
- The servers for WhatsApp are offline: You won’t be able to record and send audio messages or access new ones if WhatsApp is offline.
Now, that you know some of the common causes of WhatsApp audio notes not playing problem, then you can go ahead to fix it once and for all.
How to Fix WhatsApp Audio Not Working
Try the following troubleshooting tips if your WhatsApp voice message is not playing or working. However, the first thing you should do is confirm that your device has a reliable Wi-Fi connection or that cellular data is enabled to download the WhatsApp audio from the server.
Check your Network Connection
Checking the status of your network connection is one of the simplest ways to determine why your voice messages on WhatsApp voice notes are not playing. Make sure your computer or phone is first connected to the internet.
By confirming that you are connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network, you may determine the connection of your phone or computer. You can also try to access a website, and if it does so, you are then online.
Restart your Phone
You can solve a lot of issues by simply restarting your phone. Restarting your phone is another simple troubleshooting method you might attempt once you can confirm that your phone is connected to the internet. Once completed, you may recheck to see if WhatsApp audio notes are now working.
Check WhatsApp Permission and allow Necessary Permissions
You should provide WhatsApp with the required permissions, particularly access to the microphone, for the voice messaging functionality to function properly. Check and provide the required permissions to fix WhatsApp audio notes not playing issues.
For Android:
If the Microphone is listed under the Not permitted section, follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings >> Apps > >WhatsApp > Permissions on Android.
- Click on Permissions and select Allow only while using the app or Ask every time.
For iPhone:
- Open Settings on your iPhone, then select Privacy & Security >> Microphone.
- To enable the microphone for WhatsApp, turn the toggle next to it on.
Check if your Mic is Working
If you tried to leave a voice note but got no response, it’s possible that your phone’s microphone is not working properly. Open the voice recording app on your phone and record something to see if your microphone is working. If you play it back and no sound comes out of it, your microphone may need to be changed since it might be damaged.
Disable Third-Party Recording Apps
You should disable any app other than WhatsApp that might use the microphone when you are recording voice messages. If another app, such as a call recording or screen recording app, is open on your phone and WhatsApp is unable to capture voice notes your recorded voice note will not be recorded.
We recommend temporarily turning off third-party apps using your phone mic whenever you want to leave a voice note on your WhatsApp. Try sending the voice notes after that. Try deleting such programs to see whether the problem still exists, then you can try to record voice notes again.
Disable nearby Bluetooth Devices
Do you often connect Bluetooth earphones before playing music? If so, the issue isn’t that the audio isn’t playing; rather, it’s that the intended device is not playing it. To avoid this risk, disable Bluetooth on your Android smartphone using Quick Settings.
- From the top of your display, swipe down twice.
- Swipe left to get to the following page if you don’t see the Bluetooth option.
- Tap on it once you’ve located it to turn it off.
- Additionally, you may turn Bluetooth off by going to Settings >> Connected Devices >> Connection Preferences >> Bluetooth.
Check your Phone’s Screen Protector
The message will play via the receiver so that only you can hear it if you move the phone closer to your ear because WhatsApp includes a proximity sensor. Your screen will go dark once the proximity sensor trips, much like when you are on a call. However, you don’t always need to hold your phone close to your ear for the proximity sensor to activate. The screen will go black and play the message through the receiver even if you maintain your finger on the sensor.
But occasionally, an improperly positioned screen protector might also trigger the proximity sensor, causing the WhatsApp voice message issue. The best solution for this issue is to either take the screen protector off or swap it out for a new one.
Increase the Volume
As ridiculous as it may sound, we frequently overlook the volume levels. Increase the volume if you are using the speaker to hear the voice notes. You should once again turn up the level while using the earpiece to listen to them because it differs from the one when the speaker is on.
Check your Phone’s Storage Space
If you keep getting the message “Sorry, we are having trouble loading this audio right now.” You should verify the available space on your phone before trying to download an audio note. Please try again later. Sometimes WhatsApp fails to download voice messages because the storage is full.
Cleaning up some space on your phone is the greatest solution for this problem. You may remove undesirable applications from the phone or clear up junk files to do this.
- On Android, go to Settings >> Storage.
- On iPhone, go to Settings >> General >> iPhone Storage.
This should fix WhatsApp audio not playing, however, if it doesn’t proceed to the next fix below.
Clear Cache (for Android alone)
You could try clearing WhatsApp’s cache on Android. Since your WhatsApp data is secured, it differs from clearing data or storage. Follow the steps below:
- On your Android smartphone, tap Settings.
- Go to the Apps and Notifications section.
- Search under All Applications for WhatsApp and click on it.
- Click Storage >> Clear cache.
- Now, switch off your phone.
The WhatsApp audio notes not playing issue should have been fixed now, but if not try the next fix.
Update WhatsApp to the latest version
Always check to see if WhatsApp is up to date on your phone because new versions often come with patch fixes that remove bugs that lead to issues like WhatsApp audio notes not playing.
All applications will eventually run into problems. You can be certain that you are using the most recent bug fixes by running on the most recent version. By launching Google Play and tapping on your profile picture, you may see whether there are any outstanding updates. You may check for updates on the next screen by tapping Manage Apps and Device.
Uninstall and Re-install WhatsApp
Finally, if everything else fails, remove WhatsApp from your phone. Ensure you back up all of your data and conversations before doing that.
Check WhatsApp Server
All of the suggested fixes won’t help if the problem is with the WhatsApp servers. In that situation, your only option is to wait until the issue is resolved. You can expect that WhatsApp users will express their dissatisfaction on social media. Additionally, you may use DownDetector to look for any existing WhatsApp issues like WhatsApp audio notes not playing.
We hope that the recommendation and fixes we provided here in this post are useful if you run into WhatsApp audio notes not playing issues. We comprehend how inconvenient it might be to have to type lengthy messages rather than just record them with a few clicks. You shouldn’t have as many problems with voice messages if you make sure that WhatsApp and your phone are both updated to the most recent version. Maintain enough storage space on your phone and update them as needed.
We hope the aforementioned fixes assist you in resolving WhatsApp audio not working and voice note-related difficulties. You will notice that WhatsApp plays the following messages automatically once they start up again. It’s a brand-new feature that WhatsApp just unveiled.