Whatsapp messenger not working

[techmot]

Hi, does anyone know why Whatsapp doesn't appear to work on my laptop and on my phone?. When using it on my Windows laptop (Win11) I have to use an APK via the Bluestacks app. It is slow compared to using whatsapp on an Android but I prefer using it on my laptop. However, for some reason the bluestacks app takes up alot of HDD space everyday it needs and update, and my laptop only had 56GB of space and only 2gb remaining most of the time. When I try and update it it says there's not enough space to update and required about 6GB of space. Why does it need that much space for?.

I have been using it more on my mobile, but yesterday the updated date expired and now it keeps asking for a Gmail adress in the Google Play Store, of which I don't know the passwork as I wasn't the one who ser it up. Why is asking for a Gmail account?. I know lots of people who have Whatsapp on their phone and they don't have to go through all that to update it. Something's not right here. And no I prefer not to scan my phone with a QQ code.

Anyone know?.

[Crunchedfire]

Hi, does anyone know why Whatsapp doesn't appear to work on my laptop and on my phone?. When using it on my Windows laptop (Win11) I have to use an APK via the Bluestacks app. It is slow compared to using whatsapp on an Android but I prefer using it on my laptop. However, for some reason the bluestacks app takes up alot of HDD space everyday it needs and update, and my laptop only had 56GB of space and only 2gb remaining most of the time. When I try and update it it says there's not enough space to update and required about 6GB of space. Why does it need that much space for?.

I have been using it more on my mobile, but yesterday the updated date expired and now it keeps asking for a Gmail adress in the Google Play Store, of which I don't know the passwork as I wasn't the one who ser it up. Why is asking for a Gmail account?. I know lots of people who have Whatsapp on their phone and they don't have to go through all that to update it. Something's not right here. And no I prefer not to scan my phone with a QQ code.

Anyone know?.

Hi, i dont use Whatapp myself! What came to my mind first is that maybe there is for example 10gb of storage included with the account, if then sharing an file in an chat, is it possible this file is stored in your Whatsapp account storage, so that if you leave an channel you can still retrieve your file or alternatively remove it so that people still in the chat cannot keep downloading it even after leaving! If then installing the program onto an new phone/tablet, could be the case that this total used storage is added as an reserved space so that it can proceed to transfer your files back to you in the background!

[hech54]

Working fine on iPhone and Windows 10. Never heard of "bluestacks app".

[techmot]

Hi, does anyone know why Whatsapp doesn't appear to work on my laptop and on my phone?. When using it on my Windows laptop (Win11) I have to use an APK via the Bluestacks app. It is slow compared to using whatsapp on an Android but I prefer using it on my laptop. However, for some reason the bluestacks app takes up alot of HDD space everyday it needs and update, and my laptop only had 56GB of space and only 2gb remaining most of the time. When I try and update it it says there's not enough space to update and required about 6GB of space. Why does it need that much space for?.

I have been using it more on my mobile, but yesterday the updated date expired and now it keeps asking for a Gmail adress in the Google Play Store, of which I don't know the passwork as I wasn't the one who ser it up. Why is asking for a Gmail account?. I know lots of people who have Whatsapp on their phone and they don't have to go through all that to update it. Something's not right here. And no I prefer not to scan my phone with a QQ code.

Anyone know?.

Hi, i dont use Whatapp myself! What came to my mind first is that maybe there is for example 10gb of storage included with the account, if then sharing an file in an chat, is it possible this file is stored in your Whatsapp account storage, so that if you leave an channel you can still retrieve your file or alternatively remove it so that people still in the chat cannot keep downloading it even after leaving! If then installing the program onto an new phone/tablet, could be the case that this total used storage is added as an reserved space so that it can proceed to transfer your files back to you in the background!

Thanks for that It could be as you say the account storage. Seems likely why the required disc space is so large. I don't know why it won't update on my phone though, though when I downloaded it on my phone I had to manually add my contacts again. On my phone, when I try to update it it just brings up a Google Play Store window where a gmail email has been already entered in the box, it then asks to click NEXT, but when I do nothing happens. When I go back there's an option to select a different email, but when I enter a different email it says the address isn't recognised; I think it's because the address isn't linked to Whatsapp. I don't why Whatsapp seems to be such a big issue because everyone I know uses it and they don't have any problems with it. I only use it because people I know use to contact them on. I don't know why it keeps displaying a Gmail email address for in my name when I don't use it. I didn't set that address up but someone else I know did and this was years ago before I started to use Whatsapp, so I don't know why it's autmatically displayed in the Google Play Store loggin window.

[Alwyn]

Just use the web version of Whatsapp on your PC.

I suggest you ignore CrunchedFire (or Swedaniel by another name).

[Crunchedfire]

Thanks for that It could be as you say the account storage. Seems likely why the required disc space is so large. I don't know why it won't update on my phone though, though when I downloaded it on my phone I had to manually add my contacts again. On my phone, when I try to update it it just brings up a Google Play Store window where a gmail email has been already entered in the box, it then asks to click NEXT, but when I do nothing happens. When I go back there's an option to select a different email, but when I enter a different email it says the address isn't recognised; I think it's because the address isn't linked to Whatsapp. I don't why Whatsapp seems to be such a big issue because everyone I know uses it and they don't have any problems with it. I only use it because people I know use to contact them on. I don't know why it keeps displaying a Gmail email address for in my name when I don't use it. I didn't set that address up but someone else I know did and this was years ago before I started to use Whatsapp, so I don't know why it's autmatically displayed in the Google Play Store loggin window.

If you can find any setting to disable synchronization maybe it will use less storage and not have an need to downlaod everything! If your other devices allready have this storage downloaded could try look for an setting "Use LAN for synchronization", then maybe it could download from your other devices instead and it goes faster! This could allso consume battery from your other devices!

If find any settings for this, reason im explaning, it is sometimes possible to select an setting to use the LAN device with the allready downloaded storage as an Peer to Peer device, meaning you wont need to download it all and if need any files from your storage it will download from your local device in the same network and hereby use less bandwith from the Whatsapp network, which if using to much bandwith can have your account recieve limitations to reduce the bandwith used !

[techmot]

Just use the web version of Whatsapp on your PC.

I suggest you ignore CrunchedFire (or Swedaniel by another name).

How do you mean by the web version?.

[usually_quiet]

Just use the web version of Whatsapp on your PC.

I suggest you ignore CrunchedFire (or Swedaniel by another name).

How do you mean by the web version?.

I think he means the Windows version of Whatsapp. I don't use it, so I checked to make sure that Whatsapp is available in the Microsoft Store.

[Alwyn]

Thisa one!

https://web.whatsapp.com/

It will ask you if you want to use the app; answer No (that is, the Microsoft store one).

Using this website just runs in your browser. You'll be asked to scan a QR code that will pop up to register your phone with Whatsapp on your computer (in the browser).

I'm not aware of anything being stored on your PC; it's all on your phone and the web page is just a way of accessing Whatsapp on your phone.

[techmot]

Thisa one!

https://web.whatsapp.com/

It will ask you if you want to use the app; answer No (that is, the Microsoft store one).

Using this website just runs in your browser. You'll be asked to scan a QR code that will pop up to register your phone with Whatsapp on your computer (in the browser).

I'm not aware of anything being stored on your PC; it's all on your phone and the web page is just a way of accessing Whatsapp on your phone.

Is there any way of avoiding scanning a QR Code because I don't like using them?. Unless I just uninstall the Bluestacks file from my computer and reinstall it again?.

[Alwyn]

Is there any way of avoiding scanning a QR Code because I don't like using them?

Not that I know of.

[Cornucopia]

Don't like using them??

You do realize that all a barcode or qr code is, is just text. In this case, very likely just the link.


Scott

[hech54]

Don't like using them??

You do realize that all a barcode or qr code is, is just text. In this case, very likely just the link.


Scott

Really.

[usually_quiet]

Don't like using them??

You do realize that all a barcode or qr code is, is just text. In this case, very likely just the link.


Scott

Yes, it is just text. Last night I became curious about the QRCode. I downloaded the QRCode as a PNG image and used an online decoder (qrcoderaptor.com) to read it, which spit out a long string of characters. I couldn't discern a human-readable link. I'm guessing that it contains instructions that smart phones understand.

[Alwyn]

I'm guessing that it contains instructions that smart phones understand.

Yes, it identifies you "to" the PC.

[techmot]

I still don't like QR Code and get a bad feeling about them.

I don't understand why my laptop fails to load the Bluestacks app with Whatsapp installed in it. This morning when I booted Windows up, I clicked on the Bluestacks icon on the desktop taskbar, opened the app and clicked on the "apps" icon and I was able to load Whatsapp up and read my messages. Yet, after I rebooted Windows after being on Whatsapp for a few hours I found that I couldn't load the app up due to not enough space; this is what I'm getting:


[Attachment 76979 - Click to enlarge]

Before the message appears a couple of pop ups appear showing my Whatsapp messages received, but I couldn't actually load Whatsapp up. Maybe Whatsapp is running in the background somewhere but is hidden. Why would the messages pop up when there app hasn't loaded?.

Why the hell does it need over 6GB of space?. I even tried to free up some of the files in storage sense but all I could get the space upto was 1.25GB. Where is all the space going to?. I should have more than that. Before I rebooted again I was down to just 280MB. I know I've mentioned this before in another thread, and someone suggested it's simply down to keeping up with the storage, or possible the browser, but I do not think that is the case because I have been using my web browser for ours and had no message appear that I am running low on disc space or RAM, yet at other times I get a message. It seems to happen at random times. I could clear every programme off my laptop and would still not have enough space to run it. The biggest programme I have at the moment is about 2GB, and this (not surprisingly) the Bluestacks App Player at 2GB, followed by GIMP at 1.53GB. It seems to me that this Bluestacks app is adding more apps onto it without me knowing it. If it needs that much space to run/load, then why didn't it display that message when I booted Windows up this morning?. I had nowhere near 6GB left even then.

As for using my phone, but why does it keep displaying a GMail address when I have never used the address no had linked to Whatsapp?. When I click "next" it just says it doesn't recognise the address, and when I click on "select another address" it doesn't recognise that address either.

[hech54]

What is that Bluestacks crap?.....just download WhatsApp and link/activate it by holding the phone up to the QR Code. Simple.

[techmot]

What is that Bluestacks crap?.....just download WhatsApp and link/activate it by holding the phone up to the QR Code. Simple.

Why do you have to use a QR code? why does everything today need to scan it on your phone for?. Bluestacks is an APK so you can use it on a PC. Crap or not it doesn't explain why it needs all that disc space.

[techmot]

Not everyone who has an Android phone needs to scan a QR code to download Whatsapp. I know people who don't need to do this, they have just installed the app. On my older Toshiba laptop I used the Bluestacks apk for Whatsapp as well, but I never had any issues with the disc space running low. So it seems to me this is either a fault with my Lenovo or it's down to Windows 11.

[usually_quiet]

I'm guessing that it contains instructions that smart phones understand.

Yes, it identifies you "to" the PC.

To be exact, since your smartphone is the device that is actually running WhatsApp, the QRCode probably identifies your PC to your smartphone to enable communications between the two devices using the browser interface on the PC. I can see why this might be desirable since there is no VM (virtual machine) involved and no instance of the Windows version of WhatsApp running on the PC.

[Edit]

Not everyone who has an Android phone needs to scan a QR code to download Whatsapp. I know people who don't need to do this, they have just installed the app. On my older Toshiba laptop I used the Bluestacks apk for Whatsapp as well, but I never had any issues with the disc space running low. So it seems to me this is either a fault with my Lenovo or it's down to Windows 11.

I know that PCs using Windows 11 as the OS can run Android apps, but they are running inside a VM, which introduces additional overhead.

Have you tried the Windows version of Whatsapp available for download from the Windows Store? The version of WhatsApp available from the Microsoft Store may have better compatibility with Windows 11.

I have no idea whether or not it can work with Bluestacks, since Bluestacks appears to only be available as an Android app and would be running in a VM.

[Cornucopia]

@techmot,
this is real simple: APK is an ANDROID executable. it is NOT executable on a PC unless you happen to also be running an emulator/virtual machine. (Windows will have future support for linux apps, and android, directly, but for now it requires an emulator to work properly).
you have to use a QR code, because the company doesn't want people to have to keep putting in a 136-digit address/link code for fear that they would input it wrong and have to start all over. Get over your unsubstantiated fear of QR. I get "a bad feeling" about you, but it doesn't stop me from responding to you with the correct info.
your laptop is probably having memory stack leaks due to shoddy emulator programming, so it is bloating to the point where you don't have enough RAM/Vdisk space left. Simple way to fix that - reboot the VM.
Does your OS require as little as 6GB? Then why would you expect an emulated OS to not also consume a large amount?
The whatsapp Windows app is not emulated, so you shouldn't have those kinds of issues if you just used it. I just checked it, and it does give you the option to link to your phone without using a QR code.

Why does it want to link to your phone? Because all whatsapp accounts are phone-number based, so you must have a phone & phone number to use it, even if you are also using it via a computer. Simple.

I don't know what your gmail address is doing in whatsapp. but I do know the best place to find out answers to fix that: whatsapp tech support.


Scott

[techmot]

@techmot,
this is real simple: APK is an ANDROID executable. it is NOT executable on a PC unless you happen to also be running an emulator/virtual machine. (Windows will have future support for linux apps, and android, directly, but for now it requires an emulator to work properly).
you have to use a QR code, because the company doesn't want people to have to keep putting in a 136-digit address/link code for fear that they would input it wrong and have to start all over. Get over your unsubstantiated fear of QR. I get "a bad feeling" about you, but it doesn't stop me from responding to you with the correct info.
your laptop is probably having memory stack leaks due to shoddy emulator programming, so it is bloating to the point where you don't have enough RAM/Vdisk space left. Simple way to fix that - reboot the VM.
Does your OS require as little as 6GB? Then why would you expect an emulated OS to not also consume a large amount?
The whatsapp Windows app is not emulated, so you shouldn't have those kinds of issues if you just used it. I just checked it, and it does give you the option to link to your phone without using a QR code.

Why does it want to link to your phone? Because all whatsapp accounts are phone-number based, so you must have a phone & phone number to use it, even if you are also using it via a computer. Simple.

I don't know what your gmail address is doing in whatsapp. but I do know the best place to find out answers to fix that: whatsapp tech support.


Scott

Ok thanks for that advice. I guess it is down the shoddy emulated that is running Whatsapp on my laptop, maybe I've downloaded the wrong version. Someone I know managed to change the email address that I have Whatsapp installed on my Android phone to her number and was able to get Whatsapp working. Up until Whatsapp was asking me to update a few days ago (which I ignored) it was working fine, but because I hadn't updated on that date it wouldn't work but kept directing me to the Play Store with a gmail address already added to the address box, but when clicked next it says it doesn't recognise the address. Using the apk on my laptop the number I used for Whatsapp was linked to my non smart phone, which is just a bog stanard Nokia, but it worked as long as the phone number exists. Using Whatsapp on my Android phone I use a different number, the one that came with the phone, because for some reason the person who set the phone up never used my regular Nokia phone number but can't seem to change it. I don't even have a SIM in the Android phone but it still works with Whatsapp.

I'm guess you mean uninstalling Bluestacks and reinstalling over again?. I'm not sure if my OS requires as little as 6GB. I've had the laptop about 6 months now and the disc space has never been higher than 6GB.

[usually_quiet]

I downloaded the Windows version of WhatsApp. It provides the option to enter a phone number instead of a QRCode. I didn't complete the app setup to find out what other information it might ask for. I'm going to uninstall WhatsApp. I don't need it.

[Cornucopia]

Seriously, IIWY, I'd use the native Windows (store) app, as that should give you the least amount of compatibility issues. Now, the last time I used a desktop computer version of Whatsapp, it was under-featured compared to the phone apps, but I know they have made improvement on that since then (~2-3 years ago), so it could be they are at feature parity now. I doubt it (since the service has always been mobile-centric), but you never know.

for emulator VM image bloat, you shouldn't have to resort to such drastic means as uninstall+reinstall, but perhaps in your case it is warranted. Still makes more sense to me for you to just use the native Windows app, regardless.

re: your OS using <6GB. That's got to be a joke: Win10 expects ~16-20GB for a regular install of the OS alone, not counting additional apps. And its own installer ISO requires at least 8GB. Win11's requirements are higher.
Yes, you can use tools to decrease that, but there is a limit.

Scott

[techmot]

Seriously, IIWY, I'd use the native Windows (store) app, as that should give you the least amount of compatibility issues. Now, the last time I used a desktop computer version of Whatsapp, it was under-featured compared to the phone apps, but I know they have made improvement on that since then (~2-3 years ago), so it could be they are at feature parity now. I doubt it (since the service has always been mobile-centric), but you never know.

for emulator VM image bloat, you shouldn't have to resort to such drastic means as uninstall+reinstall, but perhaps in your case it is warranted. Still makes more sense to me for you to just use the native Windows app, regardless.

re: your OS using <6GB. That's got to be a joke: Win10 expects ~16-20GB for a regular install of the OS alone, not counting additional apps. And its own installer ISO requires at least 8GB. Win11's requirements are higher.
Yes, you can use tools to decrease that, but there is a limit.

Scott

No joke, I really only have no more than 2GB at any one time on laptop, why I haven't the foggiest. I know my HHD has only 56GB, but there is no way that any of the programmes I have installed at taking that much space up. As I said, the biggest fille I have (according to when I chec "add or remove programs" is the Bluestacks app which reads at 2GB, then after that it's GIMP 1.53 GB. I don't know GIMP is that large for. The rest are under a GB in size.

I've tried using the web verion but it asks for a code to link to the phone, but the number I entered isn't for a smart phone. That's the reason why I used the Bluestacks app as it will allow you to enter a number even it isn't linked to a smartphone or android phone.

According to Bluestacks they just suggest you free up space on your harddrive of programs you don't need, but there is no way doing so will make any different because none of the programmes I have are taking that much space up.

[Cornucopia]

I think this has been mentioned in a similar thread, but 56GB is seriously underpowered for a Win10 machine. Even 128GB is underpowered, with the standard complement of apps & media documents.
No surprise then that you have disc capacity issues, which then generate further performance issues.

If you want to see what is using up your space, look into "TreeSize Free" or "Space Sniffer". Those 2 apps will show you where the bulk of your storage is going. Whether you SHOULD clear it out or not is a different matter (some can, some cannot).
Note: to get the most use out of those, you need to start the app(s) in administrator-level.


Scott

[Alwyn]

If you want to see what is using up your space, look into "TreeSize Free" or "Space Sniffer".

I have been suggesting Treesize to @Techmot for months.

[Cornucopia]

Yeah, horse <> water

[techmot]

I think this has been mentioned in a similar thread, but 56GB is seriously underpowered for a Win10 machine. Even 128GB is underpowered, with the standard complement of apps & media documents.
No surprise then that you have disc capacity issues, which then generate further performance issues.

If you want to see what is using up your space, look into "TreeSize Free" or "Space Sniffer". Those 2 apps will show you where the bulk of your storage is going. Whether you SHOULD clear it out or not is a different matter (some can, some cannot).
Note: to get the most use out of those, you need to start the app(s) in administrator-level.


Scott

Yeah it is underpowered. I don't know Lenovo would make such an underpowered laptop for. But maybe it's designed primarily for basic tasks like word processing or just web browsing. The apk likely doesn't help.

[Alwyn]

I have good news. You can register Whatsapp for Windows (through your browser) using a code, not the QR jangle.

Go to the Whatsapp link I gave above. You'll get a prompt to register using the QR code or a phone number.

Click on the link to the phone number register page.

Type in your phone number and hit Next.

A code will be presented on the browser window; and your phone will light up as well.

Enter the code into your phone and it will be connected to the PC and all your WA messages will appear.