Help suspended from WhatsApp!

[Discombobulated2024]

I am on a walking holiday abroad, alone and relying on WhatsApp to book accommodation as well as for keeping safe and feeling connected to friends and family. This morning I had a message from WhatsApp, ‘this account can no longer use WhatsApp’ No explanation.

I have no idea why this has happened. I am a respectable 62 year old woman. Not a spammer, scammer or extremist. I have not broken the terms and conditions in any way at all. I am really upset and panicking. Any ideas why this might be and what I could do about it?

I have, of course turned it off and on again and tried to reinstall the app. Nothing. Happened about 4 hours ago.

@User09088 thanks for your reply. I was not banned. WhatsApp have said it was a mistake. My issue now is getting back into it because I can’t get a verification code. There are lots of different ways I can cobble together to communicate with people but my biggest issue is that the places I have pre reserved have this number and check every day if I am coming or not.

Sorry just to repeat the issue in case I wasn’t clear and perhaps someone can shed light on it:
One: I am not receiving SMS messages with the verification code even though my SMS is working.
Two: I AM receiving verification calls and a voice message says ‘press number 7’ I press number 7 but nothing happens. Presumably because the code has 6 digits, not one. Or am I missing something fundamental?

In the meantime you'll have to contact people and accommodations the same way you did pre what's appropriate. I know you don't want to hear it but there are thousands of ways that don't involve what's app and being so dead set on only whatsapp itself is unsafe.

I sounds like the places now only accept WhatsApp communication so what they did in the past is irrelevant. The OP isn't in control of how they structure their business, no point in sending emails if no one is reading them

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the app if you can. Something has gone funny with the app during the blocking / unblocking process

@NiftyKoala i find your response strange. I have not decided for myself that WhatsApp is the only way I want to communicate. I am not that dim. I have a PhD! I know that sms, email and calls exist and of course I am happy to use them and have tried. I am not in Europe. The country and area where I am travelling is very, very different to what you may be used to. People communicate by WhatsApp because it is free and they avoid phone calls because they don’t generally speak good English. It is rare for emails to be answered.

@romdowa i have uninstalled and installed the app twice. The app is fine. The problem is receiving the verification code via sms and phone call.

I did not accuse you of being dim.

Have you clicked the arrow next to notifications? That usually leads to more options

Quick Google shows other ways of receiving verification code for WhatsApp

I am very grateful for the time people have taken to reply to me and make suggestions. I am also surprised that so many people have assumed I am a technological dunce on holiday in Europe who should just buck up a make a phone call. I wanted some practical suggestions rather than a telling off!

I have now arrived at what I hoped would be my lodging for the night but there is no bed for me because I was unable to reply to their WhatsApp asking me to confirm. This will repeat itself every night. This is a very isolated spot. I am not sure what I am going to do. It seems likely I will have to abandon the trip, which was not just a hiking holiday but also my job, I am a researcher.

I am very angry with WhatsApp. What on earth is this accidental banning about and why is it effecting so many people?

@JellyBeanFactory thank you. I have been trawling the internet for advice for 12 hours now. I have seen it all and tried it all.

Can you just use normal text? And let them know

Hopefully it rectifies itself soon especially as others have experienced this too.

Oh no how frustrating. WhatsApp is so easy to use but when it doesn't work it just shows how reliant on it we are.

@letmego24 thank you for your suggestion. As I have mentioned several times in the thread, of course I have tried texting I would be very stupid not to have done. This is a very poor and undeveloped region and nobody uses SMS I guess because it costs money or in any case nobody answers

When you press 7, do you hear a tone? Sounds stupid I know, but my really annoying Android handset has a particular setting that needs to be activated and until it has been, I cannot eg pay for things over the phone where I need to input my three digit number on the back of my credit card (where the company has been happy for me to read out the long card number over the phone earlier in the conversation).

Do you have an alternative bed for the night? This sounds awful. Can others in the UK - family or at your research institution - assist you with future beds for the night by sending confirmation whatsapps on your behalf? Might that work if you gave the accommodation their mobiles instead? Long winded and frustrating obvs.

@letmego24 i am not normally reliant on WhatsApp at all. It is just something which the refuges and dormitories in this region insist on. They have no offices with landlines and don’t use email or texts

Where on earth are you op?

I'm guessing somewhere in Africa!

OP this all sounds awful. These places only relying on one method of communication is pretty shit.

She explained the places only accept WhatsApp.

OP, I think the suggestion about texting people at home and asking them to WhatsApp the hostels on your behalf is good.

Sounds so annoying op! If I'm correct then whatsapp requires a real phone number to work. Are you able to phone (using your phone as a old school phone) another accommodation using THEIR WhatsApp number on the off chance they will answer and speak English?

Is it an issue with international dialling codes?
For example my British mobile phone number would be entered into WhatsApp as either:

+447... Or
00447...

The 44 is the British dialling code, drop the first zero and then the next number is always 7. So you would use this if you had a British sim card. If you are using a foreign Sim card you need to replace the 44 with the country code of whichever country's sim you are using. It must always start with a plus or 00.
Hope this helps but if it isn't the issue I hope your trip goes OK despite your problems.

I get you're alone and you sound well travelled but don't be afraid to ask others for help! Maybe you could use their WhatsApp to reserve you next spot?

Sorry to hear your bed is no longer available! I think it’s pretty poor that you had to confirm via WhatsApp that you still required it. If it’s booked they should have honoured your booking.

I know you’ve said you’ve been searching the internet for hours for a solution, and have mentioned uninstalling and reinstalling multiple times, have you tried uninstalling, turning your mobile data off, reinstalling over WiFi, and requesting the verification code again? also maybe turn your phone off and on? Simple but sometimes works for me 😅 or maybe things just decide they magically want to work again when I’m about to have a mental breakdown and throw said device out from a bridge.

if you’re still receiving sms from friends/family, could you put their WhatsApp number for any future hostels and have them confirm for you?

I really hope you find a way to fix this, I was in Asia without a phone so totally appreciate how frustrating this is for you.

Either Africa or poss Brazil - I have experienced the Whatsapp reliance in both!

Good luck, OP. How very frustrating for you. I had an unexpected problem with Whatsapp the other day when it suddenly refused to recognise my pc connection (where I normally use the app). It insisted I was using more than 4 devices with Whatsapp (not true). I had to uninstall and reinstall and thereby lost all my photos and chat records - this was very upsetting, but not half as upsetting as it must be for you, travelling in another continent and relying on the app for communication and accommodation. I hope you get it sorted soon.