WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, with over 2 billion active users. One of the key features of WhatsApp is the ability to make voice and video calls over an internet connection. However, many users have experienced getting missed call notifications on WhatsApp, even when their phone didn’t ring. There can be several reasons for this.
You Were On Another Call
One of the most common reasons for missed calls on WhatsApp is if you were already on another call when the WhatsApp call came in. Since your phone can only handle one active call at a time, if you are on a regular voice call through your mobile network, any incoming WhatsApp calls will go directly to missed call notification.
This can happen even if you have WhatsApp open on another device like your laptop. If your mobile phone is occupied with a regular call, the WhatsApp call will not cause your mobile phone to ring and will show as missed once that call ends.
Your Phone Was On Silent or Do Not Disturb
Another possibility is that your phone’s ringer was silenced when the WhatsApp call came in. If your phone is set to silent mode or do not disturb, incoming WhatsApp calls will not cause your phone to ring audibly. Instead, you will only get a missed call notification after the fact.
This could happen if you had accidentally flipped the silent switch on your phone, or had enabled do not disturb mode for sleeping or meetings. Always double check your phone’s sound settings if you notice missed calls that never rang.
You Were In A Poor Network Area
Since WhatsApp calls rely on internet connectivity, call quality and reliability can suffer if you are in an area with poor network coverage. If you were passing through a low-signal area when the WhatsApp call came in, it’s possible your device never received the call notification properly.
The caller would see the call go unanswered on their end and you would simply get a missed call notification later once your device sync’s back up with WhatsApp servers. This happens more frequently if you are traveling through rural areas or remote locations with spotty internet.
Your Phone’s Battery Died
Your phone’s battery running out of charge can also lead to missed WhatsApp calls. If your phone dies while an incoming WhatsApp call is trying to connect, the call will likely go to missed call status without ringing your phone.
Once you restart your phone and reconnect to WhatsApp after charging, you will then see the missed call notification. Always ensure your phone’s battery has adequate charge to receive calls and notifications.
Glitch Or Bug In WhatsApp
In some cases, a glitch or bug in the WhatsApp application itself could also be the culprit for missed call notifications. Bugs are common in apps like WhatsApp that receive frequent updates and new features.
If there is a temporary glitch, your device may not receive call notifications properly leading to phantom missed calls. Reinstalling WhatsApp or installing app updates usually resolves such software bugs.
They Cancelled The Call Before It Rang
It’s also possible the caller cancelled the WhatsApp call on their end before your phone could start ringing. If they tapped cancel soon after tapping call, your phone may never ring.
But since the call still attempted to connect, WhatsApp servers can still register it as a missed call on your end. There is no way to distinguish such cancelled calls from actual missed calls on your phone.
Your Phone Was Offline
If your phone was offline and disconnected from the internet for any reason during an incoming WhatsApp call, you will see it as a missed call. Since WhatsApp relies on internet connectivity to place calls, your phone being offline would prevent the call notification from coming through.
Common examples are your phone being powered off, airplane mode being activated, or loss of internet connectivity due to WiFi problems. The call will attempt to connect but fail and show up as missed once your phone is back online.
You Blocked The Caller
Blocking a contact on WhatsApp prevents any calls or messages made by them from coming through. So if you had previously blocked a caller, any calls made by them would go directly to missed call status without ringing your phone.
WhatsApp does not notify you of any communication attempts from blocked contacts. Unblocking the contact is the only way to receive their calls and messages again.
Your Phone Number Changed
If you changed your phone number but still have your old WhatsApp account associated with it, you may see missed calls from your old number. Since your account is still linked to your old number, calls made to that old number will show up as missed calls within your WhatsApp notifications.
Ensure you update your phone number correctly in WhatsApp’s settings to stop getting phantom missed call notifications from your old number.
You Recently Switched Phones
If you recently upgraded or switched to a new mobile phone, you may notice old missed WhatsApp calls showing up. This can happen if you inserted the SIM card from your old phone into the new phone.
WhatsApp pulls call history and missed call data from your SIM card storage. So any unanswered calls from when the SIM was in your old phone may show up as missed calls in your new phone.
Your Phone Had Connectivity Issues
Erratic connectivity issues like weak mobile data signal or unstable WiFi can also cause incoming WhatsApp calls to directly go to missed status. If your phone frequently hops between WiFi and mobile data, call connectivity may fail leading to missed notifications.
Try to ensure you have a strong, steady internet connection before making or receiving WhatsApp calls to avoid this problem.
You Were In A Group Call
If you are already participating in a WhatsApp group voice or video call, any new incoming calls will automatically go to missed call status. Since you can only be in one WhatsApp call at a time, any other calls will get declined.
You will only see a missed call notification from the new caller after your existing group call ends. Leave the group call if you need to answer the other incoming call.
Your Phone’s Time Is Incorrect
If your phone’s time settings are inaccurate, it can also sometimes lead to missed WhatsApp calls being erroneously registered. WhatsApp relies on your local device time to log calls and notifications properly into its call history and notifications panel.
Having the wrong time on your phone can therefore sometimes glitch and show phantom missed calls that never actually occurred. Always ensure your phone’s time and timezone settings are set correctly.
You Were In A No-Service Area
Being in an area with literally no internet service, like underground garages or elevator shafts, can cause incoming WhatsApp calls to go unanswered too. With no means for your phone to receive the call data packets, the call will fail to connect and show as missed.
As soon as you reconnect to the internet, you will see the missed call notification from the period your phone was in a no-service dead zone.
You Had VoIP Calling Disabled
Some mobile networks and carriers require you to specifically enable and activate VoIP calling support on your phone before you can receive calls over apps like WhatsApp.
If you did not enable this option, any incoming WhatsApp calls will go unanswered even if your mobile data or WiFi is working fine. Check your mobile network settings to ensure VoIP calling is enabled.
Your Phone’s RAM Or Storage Was Full
Insufficient internal phone memory resources like full RAM or storage space can also potentially lead to failure in receiving WhatsApp calls properly. Just like any app, WhatsApp needs a certain amount of RAM and storage to function flawlessly.
If your phone starts to lag due to excessive resource consumption by other apps, incoming WhatsApp calls may fail to connect and register as missed calls instead. Free up RAM and storage space on your phone for optimal performance.
You Recently Uninstalled And Reinstalled WhatsApp
If you recently uninstalled WhatsApp and installed it again, you may notice old missed calls showing up. This can happen because WhatsApp pulls call history data from your Google or iCloud account backups when you reinstall it.
So any missed WhatsApp calls from when the app was previously installed remain saved in your backups and get synced again on a fresh install. Clear your backups if you want to wipe the call history.
Conclusion
In summary, common reasons for getting missed WhatsApp calls include:
- Being on another call
- Having your ringer silenced
- Being in a poor network zone
- Your phone’s battery died
- Bugs or glitches in the app
- Call got canceled before it rang
- Your phone was offline
- You blocked the caller
- You changed phone numbers
- You switched to a new phone
- Connectivity issues on your phone
- Already being in a WhatsApp group call
- Incorrect time settings on your phone
- Being in a no-service dead zone
- VoIP calling not activated
- Insufficient RAM or storage space on your phone
- Reinstalling WhatsApp recently
If you take the necessary steps to eliminate or troubleshoot these issues, you should be able to minimize missed calls and ensure smooth call connectivity on WhatsApp.