You open WhatsApp on a new phone, or after a reinstall, type your number and wait. The 6-digit code never shows up. You request it again and get nothing, or the app starts a countdown, or it tells you 'You have guessed the code too many times'.
The quick answer: WhatsApp can only send a registration code to a supported number, in the right format, on a line that can receive texts or calls, and it limits how often you can ask. Almost every missing code comes down to one of those. Sometimes the code has already worked and what the screen wants is your two-step verification PIN, which is a different thing and never arrives by text.
Read the screen first: each one points somewhere different
Look at what the app is showing right now. It tells you which fix to try, and it stops you making things worse by requesting and guessing.
- No text, no call, and the number on screen looks wrong: see cause 1.
- A timer or progress bar is still counting: see cause 2.
- 'You have guessed the code too many times': see cause 3.
- The timer has ended and neither SMS nor a call has reached you: see cause 4.
- It asks for a PIN or password rather than the code you were sent: see cause 5.
Cause 1: The number is in the wrong format, or isn't a supported type
WhatsApp's help asks for the number in 'full international format', which it describes as a plus sign, then the country code, then the rest of the number. The most common slip is the leading zero you use when dialing locally. WhatsApp's own example is a UK number, 07981555555, which becomes +447981555555.
On the registration screen, choose your country from the drop-down list so the country code fills in by itself, then type the rest of the number in the box beside it. WhatsApp's instruction is: 'Don't put a 0 before your phone number.' Then read the number back slowly before you continue. If you mistype a digit, the code goes to whoever owns that number, and it will never reach you.
Also check that the number can be registered at all. WhatsApp says VoIP, landline, toll-free, premium, UAN, shared-cost and personal numbers can't be registered. Landlines are the one exception, and only on the WhatsApp Business app, where the code goes to the landline. So an online or app-based number is not a fix for a missing code. Use your own active SIM.
Cause 2: The timer is still running, or you haven't tried 'Call me'
After you request a code, WhatsApp makes you wait before you can ask again. The length is whatever your screen shows, and one WhatsApp help page says this wait may take up to 10 minutes. Wait for the progress bar to finish, and don't enter digits in the meantime. WhatsApp warns: 'Don't guess the code', or you will be locked out for a period of time.
When the timer ends, or sooner if the option is already on screen:
- Tap 'Need help getting a code?' to see the options available to you.
- If the SMS didn't come, choose 'Call me'. An automated voice reads out your six-digit code, so have something ready to write it down.
- If you miss the call, check your voicemail. WhatsApp says that in most regions the system will leave the code there if voicemail is enabled.
- If this is an existing account and you have already added and verified an email address, choose 'Email' under 'Choose how to verify', then tap 'Continue'. Without an email on the account, this option can't help you.
- Depending on your carrier, SMS and phone calls may be charged.
Cause 3: 'You have guessed the code too many times'
This message appears when the wrong code has been entered too many times. WhatsApp's instruction is short: wait the designated amount of time before you request another code. In its own words, 'There's no way to make this faster.' Its help pages don't give one fixed length for this lockout, so go by what your screen says and be suspicious of any exact figure quoted elsewhere.
Put the phone down and come back when the wait is over. Request one new code, then enter the digits exactly as you receive them. Reinstalling the app or changing phones is not a way around this, and neither is any tool or person promising to clear it for you. If someone asks you for your code so they can 'fix' it, stop there. WhatsApp's advice is never to share your 6-digit registration code with anyone.
Cause 4: SMS and calls aren't reaching your phone
If the format is right and the timer has ended but nothing arrives, the problem is usually on the line itself. Work through these, starting with the quickest. WhatsApp's 'About registration' page has also noted that some users see delays with SMS and call codes as a known issue in certain regions, so a late code isn't always something you did.
- Send a test text to your own number from another phone. If that doesn't arrive either, the problem is not with WhatsApp.
- Confirm the SIM is active and can receive SMS or calls. On a prepaid line, WhatsApp says to make sure you have enough balance to receive them.
- Look in your messages app's spam or unknown-senders folder, in case the text was filtered there.
- Turn off task killers and blocking apps. WhatsApp names 'Advanced Task Killer' and 'Handcent Next SMS' as examples.
- Switch networks or move somewhere with better cellular coverage. You can also turn on Wi-Fi Calling in your phone's settings, so calls and texts can use Wi-Fi.
- If you are abroad, turn on roaming. It may cost extra. If roaming isn't possible, WhatsApp suggests considering a local phone number of your own that can receive calls or SMS.
- Restart the phone and update WhatsApp to the latest version. Registration can also fail if you don't meet the minimum age requirement.
- Contact your mobile provider. WhatsApp says they can confirm whether SMS or calls to your number are being blocked or delayed.
- If you lost the SIM, ask your provider about replacing it on the same number. WhatsApp says an account can't be recovered without a SIM card with the same phone number.
Cause 5: The code worked, and now it wants your two-step verification PIN
This one catches a lot of people, because both are six digits. The registration code comes to you by SMS or call. The two-step verification PIN was set earlier on the account and never gets sent to you. WhatsApp says plainly that the two are different. If you typed the SMS code and now see a PIN request, the code did its job, and asking for more codes won't help. WhatsApp is also upgrading the 6-digit PIN to a password, so your screen may say 'password' instead.
If you don't recall setting a PIN, there are two possibilities WhatsApp describes. In rare cases, someone else using your account might have turned it on. Or, if the number is new to you, the previous owner may have set it, and WhatsApp says you will need to wait a few days before you can reset access.
- You know the PIN: enter it and you are done.
- You forgot it but added an email address: tap 'Forgot PIN?', then 'Send Email', and use the reset link. WhatsApp says this can be done immediately.
- You forgot it and have no email on the account: wait 7 days, counted from the last time your account successfully connected to WhatsApp, then try again. WhatsApp says it has no option to speed this up.
- You are still logged in on another phone: go to Settings > Account > Two-step verification > Change PIN and set a new one before you go any further.
Prevent it next time
Most of this can be avoided with a few minutes of setup while your account is still working.
- Add an email address in your two-step verification settings. It gives you a way to reset a forgotten PIN and, once verified, another way to get a code on an existing account.
- Store your PIN or password somewhere safe, such as a password manager, and not in a chat.
- Keep the SIM for your WhatsApp number active, topped up if it is prepaid, and with you when you change phones.
- Turn on roaming before you need a code abroad, and expect possible charges.
- Request a code once, wait for it, and only enter digits you received. Guessing is what turns a short wait into a lockout.
- Treat any code you didn't ask for as a warning. It often means someone mistyped your number, but it can also mean someone is trying to take over your account. Don't pass it on.
If customers reach you on WhatsApp
A lockout can leave your customers with no way to reach you until it clears. A free OneSol page gives them one link to reach you on WhatsApp and elsewhere, and it can collect emails, so you keep a way to contact them even when one app is out of action.