Over 2.24 billion people use Whatsapp monthly, you can imagine how people are dependent on it and what is the influence of Whatsapp on people’s life. Imagine that you are a regular user of it and most of the tasks of your daily life are dependent on it and suddenly you face some error while using it, the level of irritation and stress will be much high. As it is an online platform it faces issues sometimes and one of the common issues is WhatsApp gif not working.
What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a messaging application that allows users to send or receive texts, share audio or video, as well as making audio or video calls. It is owned by Facebook and was created by Brion Acton and Jan Kaum. Also, It has been ruling in the category of messaging apps for more than decades and has an active user of more than 2 billion.
It is available in both Android and iOS for free, users can download and install it from their respective play store and app store. The app allows users to make groups for chat and the chats are end-to-end encrypted which makes the chat private and secure.
What are WhatsApp GIFs?
WhatsApp GIFs are animated images or short clips that are available in the WhatsApp GIFs section, gifs are used to convey messages in a simple manner. There are different types of gifs available on it. You have to just go to the gifs section and tap on the search option to get desirable gifs. The gifs can be used in both individual and group chats and it makes chat more interesting and enjoyable. Users should keep in mind that they should send gifs that are not appropriate and are not offensive and don’t hurt anyone’s feelings.
Why are my WhatsApp GIFs not working?
The error can be from different reasons and you should be aware of all the reasons. Therefore the following reasons for your issue are mentioned below.
Unstable Internet Connection
The slow and unstable internet connection can become one of the reasons for this error as GIFs files are large files and need a fast and stable internet connection and it will also reduce the loading time of gifs.
Outdated app
The older version of WhatsApp can also be one of the reasons for your problem as, sometimes the older version doesn’t support gifs and due to it, it is unable to load. Because WhatsApp fixes its bugs on a regular basis and one should be up to date to prevent them.
Lack of Storage Space
The application needs proper space or storage to store and load GIFs, if there is a lack of storage in your device you will not be able to load and store GIFs which leads to an issue.
Corrupted GIF files
GIFs sometimes get corrupted due to incomplete download or incomplete transfer and due to it, GIFs are unable to load and show errors while downloading which further causes the reason for not working.
Disabled media auto download
Auto media download means that the media of the application will download automatically and doesn’t require a manual download. Sometimes the GIFs don’t load because there is a chance that you have disabled the auto-download option to save your data usage. You have to download GIFs manually.
Unsupported GIF format
Some GIFs have a format that is not supported by the WhatsApp application and due to an unsupported format, GIFs are unable to store and load.
Software issue
Sometimes, issues with the Software or System can become the reason for the not working GIFs, the operating system affects the performance of the application which prevents the WhatsApp GIFs from working properly.
Third-party apps
If you have installed a third-party application and using it to download and share GIFs it will further cause a compatibility error in WhatsApp.
App Settings
Sometimes, changes in the settings of the WhatsApp application such as language or privacy can prevent the application from downloading GIFs in it.
Server issues
WhatsApp has over 2 billion users and sometimes the server of the application gets overloaded due to lots of traffic, due to it the application sometimes crashes as well as messages and GIFs are not able to be received or sent.
How to resolve this WhatsApp gif not working?
You can try the following methods to resolve your issue.
Get a fast and stable connection
To have a seamless experience on WhatsApp you must have a fast and stable internet connection, you can do the following task to get a stable and fast internet connection:
- You must move to another area that has a strong network signal.
- Connect to other wifi networks
- If you are using Mobile Data, disconnect from it and get connected to wifi.
Update the application
You have to update the WhatsApp application so that all formats of GIFs can be supported.
To update the WhatsApp application, follow the given steps:-
- Step 1:- Go to play store/app store
- Step 2:- Tap on ‘search’, then search ‘WhatsApp’
- Step 3:- Click on ‘Update’, if available
Free up storage space
GIFs are large files and they need storage in your device to be stored and you have lack of storage, you must free some space.
To clear some spaces, do the following tasks:
- Clear out unnecessary and unwanted files from your device such as cache data.
- Clear the old chats and media that have been stored for a long time.
- Move the large media files to external storage.
Check the GIF files
To check if the GIF files are corrupted or not, do the following tasks:
- Download the GIFs from different websites
- And run them on the computer if they are corrupt.
- Download the different versions
Enable auto-download
To enable the auto-download option, follow the given steps:
- Step 1:- Open your WhatsApp and click on the three dots that are present at the rightmost corner of your screen.
- Step 2:- Select ‘Storage’ and then click on ‘Storage and data’
- Step 3:- After clicking on ‘Storage and data’ make sure that under “Media-auto-download” all the options (When using mobile data, When connected on wifi, and When roaming) are enabled.
Check GIFs format
To resolve the problem of the unsupported format of GIFs, follow the given points to get rid of it:
- Check if the format you have is supported by WhatsApp or not.
- Install a third-party app that will convert your unsupported format of GIFs to a supportable format of GIFs.
Update Software
To resolve the system or software issue you have to do the following tasks:
- Restart your device and after restarting try to open WhatsApp again.
- Update your device to the latest version and to update go to settings and click on the update option
- Uninstall and install WhatsApp
Check third-party apps
Third-party apps which are interfering and causing errors in GIFs should be uninstalled as soon as possible. Keep only trusted apps on your device.
Correct the App settings
You must ensure that you have the correct WhatsApp settings and to ensure, follow the steps
- Step 1:- Open the WhatsApp app and click on the three dots that are at the rightmost corner of your screen.
- Step 2:- Tap on the “Settings” option and review all your settings such as language, privacy, and media settings.
- Step 3:- Adjust the Settings as needed and after adjusting try to open the GIFs again.
Wait for some time
If the server is under maintenance, wait for some time until it is fixed. If you have tried all the solutions and are still getting the error, contact the WhatsApp support team for assistance.
Summary Table
| S.No | Reasons | Solutions |
| 1 | Unstable Internet Connection | Get a fast and stable connection |
| 2 | Outdated app | Update the application |
| 3 | Lack of Storage Space | Free up storage space |
| 4 | Corrupted GIF files | Check the GIFs files |
| 5 | Disabled media auto download | Enable auto-download |
| 6 | Unsupported GIF format | Check GIFs format |
| 7 | Software issue | Update Software |
| 8 | Third-party apps | Check third-party apps |
| 9 | App Settings | Correct the App settings |
| 10 | Server issues | Wait for some time |
Conclusion
In this article, I explained in detail about the WhatsApp GIFs and written in detail about it and also mentioned the reasons (Why it shows errors), gave the corresponding solution for each reason(How can we fix it) and at the last, I’ve summarised all the points that have been discussed in detail in the article.
FAQs
WhatsApp doesn’t support sound in GIFs.
Yes, you can by downloading it on your computer and sending it through USB to your phone.
Rishu Kumar is a B.Tech graduate in Computer Science with a passion for technology and its applications. He has a keen interest in software development and has been actively involved in various coding projects since his college days. Rishu’s strong technical skills, coupled with his ability to think critically and solve complex problems, have helped him excel in his field.
During his academic years, Rishu developed expertise in programming languages such as Java, Python, and C++. He also gained hands-on experience in web development, database management, and data structures and algorithms. Rishu’s curiosity and willingness to learn have driven him to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the tech industry.
