How to Fix Waiting for This Message This May Take a While WhatsApp

by Jenefey Aaron   Updated on 2024-09-06 / Update for  WhatsApp

You might have experienced this thing once or twice when you use WhatsApp where instead of showing someone’s text, WhatsApp displays “Waiting For This Message This May Take A While”.

whatsapp waiting for this message this may take a while

In a while, this goes away and the original message is displayed. But it also happens that it does not reappear. Why does this happen and how can we solve WhatsApp Waiting For This Message? Let’s dive into that.

Part 1: What Cause Waiting For This Message This May Take A While

Here we have found out the probable causes and listed them in an easy manner. Any of these things could be causing “waiting for this message this may take a while”.

  • You or the person you are chatting with is using old versions of WhatsApp.
  • Either the message sender or receiver reinstall and open WhatsApp again.
  • When you use WhatsApp web or desktop version, sometimes syncing can take a while and until then you see WhatsApp waiting for this message.
  • The person you are chatting with does not open the chat or come online in WhatsApp.
  • It takes a while to show to WhatsApp messages due to end-to-end encryption.

Part 2: 4 Tips to Fix WhatsApp Waiting For This Message

Now for the reasons listed above, let's see how to solve "WhatsApp this message may take a while". As with the notice, wait a moment and let the message show up. If that doesn't work, try these things to fix the problem and avoid it in the future.

Other WhatsApp message problems:
WhatsApp messages delayed
WhatsApp messages not delivered

1. Update WhatsApp to the latest version

One of the causes is outdated WhatsApp, and thus we should check a pending update and install it. Go to App Store on your device and update WhatsApp to the latest version. This will most likely fix waiting for message in WhatsApp.

2. Ask the other to open WhatsApp

Like what we have said, the end-to-end encryption of WhatsApp chats will cause waiting for this message. When you receive this notice on your phone, what you can do is to tell the other to open WhatsApp and stay online for a couple of minutes. Wait it out.

3. Wait for WhatsApp to sync

WhatsApp messages take time to sync between devices. After you use WhatsApp web or desktop and open WhatsApp on your Android or iPhone again, keep the devices connected to the internet and wait for messages to get synced in a while and things will be resolved.

4. Backup and restore WhatsApp

The last method if you wait for a long time and cannot see the messages is to backup and restore your WhatsApp messages. This involves uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp. And the steps for iPhone and Android are almost the same.

  • Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
  • Tap on Chats > Chat Backup > Backup.
  • After that, reinstall the WhatsApp app and open it.
  • Tap on Continue and sign into your WhatsApp account. When WhatsApp finds a backup, tap on Restore.
  • Wait for messages to restore. And then you will see the original message.

Extra Tip: How to See Deleted Messages in WhatsApp

WhatsApp waiting for this message this may take a while problem has been fixed and you can see messages again. But what if you accidentally delete them? How to see delete WhatsApp messages? Well, there is some hope for you in the form of Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery. This tool recovers WhatsApp messages for both iPhone and Android. Here we take Android as example:

  • Download and launch UltData WhatsApp Recovery on your computer and click on Device > Android to start.

    how to restore whatsapp chat after reinstall with ultdata whatsapp recovery
  • Connect your Android to the computer with a USB cable and enable USB debugging.

    enable usb debugging with ultdata whatsapp recovery
  • After that, the program will start scan the WhatsApp. Click on Start Scan.

    start scanning whatsapp with ultdata whatsapp recovery
  • You must have logged into your WhatsApp account and take a backup by following the pop up.

    backup whatsapp with ultdata whatsapp recovery
  • Reinstall WhatsApp and scan the data in a few minutes. Wait and follow the on-screen notices.

    uninstall and reinstall whatsapp with ultdata whatsapp recovery
  • All messages discovered will be displayed. Select what you want to restore and click on Restore.

    restore whatsapp with ultdata whatsapp recovery

Conclusion

To sum up, “waiting for this message this may take a while” is a commonly encountered problem in WhatsApp. Mostly this issue goes away on its own by waiting for a while. And you can also try the 4 tips we mentioned above. Besides, if you want to recover deleted WhatsApp messages, take a look at Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery.