A new version of Whatsapp was released on 25 February, bringing the app to Beta version 2.25.5.8. The new version was supposed to bring improvements, but some testers have been struggling with a number of different problems since the installation.
For example, affected users have not been able to download or view images or videos in the chat. Others are unable to listen to voice messages, as reported by the Wabetainfo X account and numerous other users.
Shortly afterwards, Meta released a new update (version 2.25.5.16) to fix the bug. Even if this means that media downloads work again, the update reintroduced other problems and prevents stickers, GIFs or emojis from being sent. Wabetainfo also wrote a tweet about this.
What should users do?
As already mentioned, the beta version of Whatsapp is affected, especially on Android devices. Sadly, at this stage, there’s only one fix. You’ll need to avoid the two new updates or switch to the live version of Whatsapp. Fortunately, there’s a Google explainer on how to do this in the support article on the topic of “Leaving the beta programme of an app”.
If you can’t do this, you can instead reset Whatsapp to an older version. First of all, create a backup of your chats and contacts, then uninstall Whatsapp. You can then download an earlier, problem-free version via a site such as APK Mirror.
Otherwise, your only option is to sit tight and wait for another update, which Meta will hopefully release in the next few hours. At least developers seem to be aware of the problem, as they have already been able to deliver a quick bug fix for the first update.
Want to get Whatsapp on your iPad? Here’s how.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and adapted from German.
