# WhatsApp says “Waiting for this message”: what you can do

By HeyMark · Updated November 3, 2026

You open a chat and see “Waiting for this message. This may take a while” instead of the message. You can check whether both people are online, review their WhatsApp versions, and decide when to ask for a resend. WhatsApp lists several possible causes, so the notice alone does not tell you what happened.

## What to check first

WhatsApp says the notice may appear if a message was not delivered, you or the other person recently reinstalled the app, someone is using an older version, or you changed your primary phone. These are possibilities, not a diagnosis of your chat. [Read WhatsApp’s official explanation](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3398056720476987/?locale=en_US).

Start with the checks both people can make:

1. Ask the sender to open WhatsApp. Make sure you are both connected to the internet and have the app open at the same time. Then check the chat.
2. If the message is still pending, switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data. If either connection is weak, try another location with a better signal. Check the chat again after each change.
3. Check the official app store for a WhatsApp update on both phones and install one if available. Open the chat again. WhatsApp recommends using the latest version, but does not say an update guarantees delivery.

## If the message was not delivered

If the sender confirms the message was not delivered, ask them to send it again. Check whether that new message appears in the chat. Resending starts another delivery; it does not prove that the original message was recovered.

If the notice appears only on WhatsApp Web or another linked device, open the same chat on your primary phone, the phone you used to register your account. WhatsApp says you need to log in to that phone at least once every 14 days to keep linked devices connected. That period concerns keeping devices connected, not how long a message takes to arrive.

## If the notice remains only on a linked device

After checking the chat on your primary phone, you can try WhatsApp’s final step for this notice: unlink and relink the affected device.

1. In WhatsApp on your primary phone, open **Linked devices**, select the affected device and tap **Log out**. [Read how to unlink it](https://faq.whatsapp.com/834124628020911/?locale=en_US).
2. Reopen WhatsApp Web or the official app on that device. On your primary phone, choose **Link a device** and follow the verification prompts and steps for your phone to link it again. [Follow the official linking steps](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1317564962315842/?locale=en_US).
3. Return to the same chat and check whether the notice has cleared or is still pending.

This step applies to the notice on a linked device. It does not require deleting the account on your primary phone or guarantee recovery of the original message.

## If the notice remains

Note whether it also appears on the primary phone and which checks you and the sender tried. WhatsApp’s help does not give a time by which the notice should disappear or guarantee recovery of the original message. Do not reinstall WhatsApp or delete data as a test: the help page does not list those as steps to recover this message. If the sender can confirm it was not delivered, the documented next step is to ask them to resend it.

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## Developer and agent resources

- [HeyMark MCP documentation](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/)
- [llms.txt](https://heymark.ai/llms.txt)
- [Full site content for language models](https://heymark.ai/llms-full.txt)
- MCP protocol endpoint: `POST https://mcp.heymark.ai`
- OAuth protected-resource metadata: [/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource](https://mcp.heymark.ai/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource)
- MCP server card: [/server-card](https://mcp.heymark.ai/server-card)