How to check if WhatsApp has been offline

WhatsApp is one of South Africa’s most popular messaging apps. After MXiT left the popular table, this app quickly dominated search results. Today, everyone’s phones have the app – whether you’re using it (or not).

Messages not sending?

Texts not received?

Outages can happen. The network could be offline if your messages don’t go through.

Here’s how to check if anyone else has a network outage.

WHY WHATSAPP GOES OFFLINE SOMETIMES

Messaging services could go offline at any second.

Servers or network outages can cause this. Global outages have happened, though they can also affect local networks by-country.

Undersea cables can also affect network connectivity.

If you can’t get online, WhatsApp might be down. An outage can last for minutes to hours, sometimes they can last days.

DownDetector lets users check for worldwide outages.

MORE ABOUT WHATSAPP

WhatsApp launched in 2009 for South Africans.

It took over the reigns from MXit, a previous popular messaging app. As Mxit got less popular, the new app rose to the top spot.

Business, a special feature, came to be in 2018.

It’s cheaper than text messaging.

It’s fast and easy communication for South Africans, who are busy people. Most people have the app.

You can apply for SASSA grants, and you can even order pizza.

IS WHATSAPP OFFLINE RIGHT NOW?

Use this link to check if WhatsApp is offline right now.

DownDetector shows websites and their current status. Find out if your chosen website or service is currently offline.

You can tell if messaging services have gone down in seconds.

You can also report outages if you’re the first person experiencing one.

Remember to check if the status changes.

IS MY WHATSAPP VERSION LEGITIMATE?

Download from the official website and your relevant app store

Fake apps are doing the rounds, and might ‘mirror’ a real account – but steal all your information and messages.

Get the real version of WhatsApp. Don’t download ’.apk’ files from other sites that could harm your device.

Only legitimate versions are supported.

Don’t get scammed on the internet!

CHECKING OTHER SERVICES

You can also check for other services using DownDetector.

Here’s their page for Facebook and Instagram. Check here to see if your favourite service or website is online.

It’s one way to save time.