Waiting for this message. This may take a while. appears in a chat in place of a message someone sent you. The message has reached WhatsApp, but your phone can't unlock it yet. WhatsApp encrypts every message so that only the sender's and receiver's devices can read it, and the placeholder shows when the two devices are out of step.
WhatsApp lists four causes: the message failed to deliver, you or the sender recently reinstalled WhatsApp, one of you isn't on the latest version, or you moved your number to a new phone. Nothing is lost at this point. The real message normally replaces the placeholder once both phones are online.
Is WhatsApp down?
This placeholder is rarely an outage sign. During an outage you're more likely to see Connecting at the top of the chat list and your own messages stuck on a clock icon. Check our WhatsApp status page if several chats are affected at once, and see WhatsApp stuck on "Connecting" for that problem.
Fixes, in the order WhatsApp gives them
- Get online together. Ask the sender to open WhatsApp on their phone while you have it open too. This is the fix that works most often, because the sender's phone has to send the message again in a form your phone can read.
- Check your connection. Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data, or move somewhere with better signal.
- Update WhatsApp on both phones from the App Store or Google Play.
- Ask the sender to resend it. If the original failed to deliver, a fresh copy arrives normally.
- Open WhatsApp on your main phone, the one registered with your number, if you saw the placeholder on WhatsApp Web, the desktop app or a tablet.
- Unlink and relink the linked device. On your phone go to Settings, Linked devices, tap the device and log it out, then link it again with the QR code.
If it only happens on WhatsApp Web or desktop
Linked devices keep their own copy of your chats and can fall behind. If the message reads fine on your phone and shows the placeholder on your computer, the computer is the one out of step. WhatsApp also logs linked devices out if your main phone hasn't been used for 14 days, so open WhatsApp on the phone regularly.
Messages you send stuck on one tick
- Clock icon: the message hasn't left your phone. Check your own connection.
- One grey tick: sent, but not yet delivered to the other person's phone.
- Two grey ticks: delivered.
- Two blue ticks: read, if they have read receipts switched on.
One tick that stays for hours almost always means the other phone is off, out of signal, out of battery or has WhatsApp removed. A contact who has blocked you also produces a permanent single tick, but one tick alone is not proof of a block. There is nothing to fix on your phone. The message delivers when theirs reconnects.
Why encryption causes it
Each phone holds its own secret keys, and a message is locked so that only the receiving phone's current keys can open it. Reinstalling WhatsApp or moving to a new phone creates new keys. A message that was locked for the old ones arrives and can't be opened, so WhatsApp shows the placeholder and quietly asks the sender's phone for a new copy. That request is answered by the sender's phone, not by WhatsApp's servers, which is why the sender has to come online.
It also explains the pattern people notice: the placeholder tends to appear just after someone gets a new phone, restores a backup, or comes back to WhatsApp after a long gap.
In group chats
In a group, the placeholder usually affects messages from one member only. The cause is the same and so is the fix: that person needs to open WhatsApp while connected. Other members' messages are unaffected.
What not to do
- Don't reinstall WhatsApp to clear it. Reinstalling is one of the causes. It can leave more messages in the same state, and any chats that aren't backed up are gone.
- Don't expect a backup to recover it. A placeholder that is restored from a backup is still a placeholder. Only the sender has the original.
- Don't switch to a modified WhatsApp app. WhatsApp doesn't support unofficial versions and can ban accounts that use them.
When the sender can't resend
If the sender has lost their phone, deleted their account or left the chat for good, the message can stay as a placeholder permanently. Tap and hold it and delete it for yourself if you want it out of the chat. For anything important, ask them to send it again by another route.
Related fix guides
Questions
How long does "Waiting for this message" take?
There is no fixed time. It clears when the sender's phone is online with WhatsApp open, which can be seconds or days. If it hasn't changed after a day, ask the sender to send the message again.
Does "Waiting for this message" mean I've been blocked?
No. Blocking stops messages being delivered at all, so nothing new would appear in the chat. The placeholder means a message did arrive and your phone is waiting for the means to read it.
Can I read a "Waiting for this message" message another way?
No. Until your phone receives a readable copy from the sender's phone, the content isn't stored anywhere you can reach, including backups and WhatsApp Web.