Fix WhatsApp 'Waiting for this message. This may take a while.'

Updated: 11/29/2025

You open a chat to read an important text, but instead of the message, you see a gray placeholder: 'Waiting for this message. This may take a while.'. It is incredibly frustrating because you can see who sent it, but not what it says. This is not a server crash; it is a specific side effect of WhatsApp's End-to-End Encryption. It means your phone does not yet have the digital 'key' required to decrypt the message because the sender's phone went offline before finishing the handshake.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Encryption Handshake

WhatsApp does not store messages on a central server in readable text. They live on your device. When someone sends a message, their phone locks it with a mathematical key. Your phone needs to receive that specific key to unlock it. If the sender force-closes the app or loses internet immediately after hitting send, the key gets stuck on their device.

The Simple Truth: Most of the time, you just need the sender to come back online.

Method 1: The 'Online' Trigger

You need to force a cryptographic handshake with the sender.

Step 1: Contact the Sender

Call or text the person (using SMS or another app) and ask them to open WhatsApp on their phone.

Step 2: Keep WhatsApp Open

Keep your own WhatsApp open in the foreground. Once both phones are online simultaneously, the encryption keys will exchange in the background, and the text will pop in instantly.

Method 2: Force Backup & Restore (The Nuclear Option)

If the message has been stuck for days, your local database might be desynced. You can force a resync by reinstalling.

Warning: Perform a Chat Backup first or you will lose recent chats!

Step 1: Backup

Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and tap Back Up Now.

Step 2: Reinstall

Uninstall WhatsApp. Reinstall it from the App Store/Play Store. Verify your phone number. When asked to Restore Chat History, say Yes. This downloads the pending keys from the server queue again.

Method 3: Check Linked Devices

If you use WhatsApp Web or Desktop, the keys might be stuck on your computer.

  • Open WhatsApp on your phone.
  • Go to Linked Devices.
  • Log out of all sessions (or at least the ones you aren't using).
  • Restart the app. This forces the primary device (your phone) to take over key management duties.