Find out what to do if Whatsapp won’t install or update on Android. WhatsApp is a cross-platform application that allows you to be able to send text messages between users through chats but not only that, in fact with WhatsApp you can also send voice messages, attachments, you can send photos, make video calls between 2 or more contacts and more. WhatsApp with the passing of time is becoming a more and more feature-rich app and this can only make its users happy that, they manage to get a more and more complete service that meets the demands of its many users. WhatsApp however like any other app might give some problems sooner or later, in particular in this guide we will deal with what to do if WhatsApp does not install or update on Android. Continue reading this guide to find out in detail how you can take action if there is a failure to install or update WhatsApp on an Android smartphone.
Do you want to start using Whatsapp and are trying for the first time to download the application to your device but can’t proceed with its installation? Have you noticed that you can’t start or finish an update of the WhatsApp app lately? You don’t have to worry too much in that case, in fact sometimes there might be some small error with the app, incompatible version or there might be something wrong with the Android device you are using at that moment. Whatever the cause, here are the solutions that will help you if WhatsApp does not install or update on Android and if everything goes well, you will be able to download/install and update your WhatsApp application. But first though, let’s get a better understanding of what could be the reasons why WhatsApp is not downloading on an Android phone.
why you can’t install WhatsApp
If you are wondering why you can’t install WhatsApp on your Android smartphone, you should know that this may depend on several reasons and if you are experiencing problems in proceeding with downloading WhatsApp from the Google Play Store, the reasons may be mainly the following:
- Android operating system that is now obsolete and no longer compatible with WhatsApp
- Presence of error codes when downloading
- Lack of sufficient amount of space to be able to install WhatsApp in the phone’s memory
- Application not available in the country you are currently in
- These can be the main reasons why you are unable to install WhatsApp on an Android smartphone, but don’t worry, you will be able to manage to solve any problem you are facing by following this guide.
If WhatsApp is no longer compatible with your device
You may have a smartphone with a version of Android that is now no longer supported by WhatsApp because it is too old, so here’s why you can’t proceed with the installation. In fact, in order to be able to install WhatsApp on Android, you need your device to meet all the requirements that are needed for installation, which are currently:
- Android operating system with a version installed on the device that is a 4.0.3 or higher
- The device must support a fast Internet connection or must allow the use of a data connection and/or Wi-Fi
- Device via a phone SIM, must be able to receive SMS or Calls in order to get the verification code
- If your Android phone has all the requirements that are needed to be able to install WhatsApp, then surely the problem with installing the app is caused by something else. If, on the other hand, you have a version of Android that is too old and therefore no longer compatible with WhatsApp, you will necessarily have to change your phone unless you have a new OS update available.
can’t install WhatsApp because of an error
An error may occur when you try to download or update the WhatsApp app. In fact, in such a case, an error with its own specific code may occur. The most common error codes you may encounter when downloading or updating WhatsApp are “907, 910, 921, 927, 941, 505, 413, 481, 491, 492, and DF-DLA-15.” Follow the steps below regardless of the error code you see when you try to install or update WhatsApp on Android:
- As the first thing you should, remove your Google account connected to the Play Store.
- Next, clear the cache and data of the Google Play Store
- Add back the Google account you had previously deleted
- Next, try downloading WhatsApp to your smartphone
In more detail, here are the steps to follow for each of the items listed above:
To remove and re-add your Google account linked to the Play Store:
- Go to your phone’s Settings
- Now look for the Users/Accounts and Sync item and when you find it tap on it
- From the Users and Accounts section, tap on Google
- Now tap on the Google account you use to connect to the Play Store
- Then tap on Remove Account and proceed to delete it
- After removing your Google account, restart your device
To clear your Google Play Store cache and data:
- Add your Google account back to your device so you can use the Play Store
- Tap on the Settings item on your smartphone
- Now go to Apps > and select the Manage apps item.
- Search for and tap Google Play Store to be able to access the app information screen
- Go into Archive
- Now, you should see two buttons, one that says Clear Data and one that says Clear Cache, with your finger tap on Clear Data to clear both Play Store data and cache
Now add your Google account:
- Go inside to Settings on your Android smartphone.
- Then go to User/Accounts and Sync.
- Tap on Google Accounts and add the account you use to connect to the Play Store and had previously removed
- Connect to the Play Store
- Search for the WhatsApp app and start the download
insufficient storage space
When downloading WhatsApp, if you do not have enough storage on your device to be able to save the app, you will not see the specific message, but you will be shown an error code when the download fails. So, if you see an error with one of these codes “101, 498, 919, 403, 495, 504, 911, 920, 923, RPC errors, invalid package file, installation or download errors failed,” follow the steps below to fix the problem.
- First, if there is insufficient storage space, if you use external storage or have the option to install one, move the apps you can to an SD card so that the internal storage will regain space on which to save WhatsApp. Otherwise alternatively you can either delete apps and media such as photos and videos that are no longer needed and this way you can have more free storage space in the internal memory of your smartphone
- Clear your cache and data from the Google Play Store.
- You can now try downloading WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.
- To free up valuable internal memory in your Android smartphone, I encourage you to also read the guide explaining how to free up memory on Android as it is more in-depth on the topic.
if you are in a country where WhatsApp is not available
It may happen that you leave outside of Italy and find yourself in a country where WhatsApp is not yet available, maybe you had to uninstall the app or you need to update it but obviously you can’t, so what can you do in this case? You should not worry in this case because you can download the WhatsApp APK file and then proceed with its installation on your device. Here’s how to proceed:
To download WhatsApp in APK format:
- Access any Android browser that allows downloads, for example, Google Chrome
- Now you need to go to a good site from which you can safely download WhatsApp. I recommend that you download WhatsApp from the excellent APKMirror.
- Wait for the download to finish then proceed with its installation by tapping on the APK file name or go to the Download folder of your browser where you will find the downloaded APK file
- Follow the steps that are shown to you on the screen
- Allow any permissions you are prompted for
- Tap the Install button to install WhatsApp on your phone
- You will now need to register with the verification code. If you downloaded and installed the APK file for an update instead, sign in to your WhatsApp as normal.
This is what you can do if your Google Play Store does not support WhatsApp because of the country you are in and therefore does not allow you to download WhatsApp from the official store.
Conclusions
These are the possible causes why you might have difficulty installing or updating WhatsApp. Sometimes, however, it should be mentioned that the problem could depend on the Google Play Store and due to an internal problem of theirs you are unable to download the applications in a general way, not only for WhatsApp. Generally, however, these problems that depend on the Google Play Store are solved very quickly, so in that case you would only need to wait a few minutes to a few hours at most. Until the next guide.
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