Why Customers See “Waiting for this message. This may take a while” on WhatsApp

If your customer is not able to see your WhatsApp message and instead sees:

“Waiting for this message. This may take a while”

Don’t worry — this is a WhatsApp encryption-related issue, not a DoubleTick platform issue.

This article explains what it means and what you can do to resolve it.

---

What Does This Message Mean?

WhatsApp messages are protected using End-to-End Encryption.

This means:

• Only you and your customer can read the messages

• WhatsApp must securely deliver the message along with an encryption key

• Until the customer’s phone receives the correct key, the message cannot be opened

So when WhatsApp cannot unlock the message immediately, it shows this placeholder:

👉 “Waiting for this message. This may take a while.”

This is officially confirmed in WhatsApp’s documentation.

---

Why Does This Happen?

This issue usually occurs when WhatsApp is unable to complete the secure encryption sync between the sender and the receiver.

Below are the most common reasons:

---

1. Customer’s Phone Was Offline When the Message Was Delivered

If the customer had:

• No internet connection

• Phone switched off

• WhatsApp not opened for a long time

WhatsApp may delay decrypting the message.

Once they come online again, the message usually appears automatically.

---

2. Customer Recently Changed Their Phone or Reinstalled WhatsApp

If the customer:

• Installed WhatsApp again

• Changed their device

• Restored WhatsApp backup

Their encryption keys refresh, and older incoming messages may take time to load.

---

3. WhatsApp App Version Is Outdated

If either side is using an old WhatsApp version, encryption syncing may fail temporarily.

Ask the customer to:

• Update WhatsApp from Play Store / App Store

• Restart the app

---

4. WhatsApp Needs Time to Sync Encryption Keys

Sometimes WhatsApp simply needs both users to be active online at the same time for encryption verification.

This is common when:

• The customer opens WhatsApp after many hours

• Their phone is on battery saver mode

• Background data is restricted

---

5. Temporary WhatsApp Network or Server Delay

In rare cases, WhatsApp may experience a temporary delay in delivering encrypted messages.

This resolves on its own once WhatsApp servers sync properly.

---

Is This a DoubleTick Issue?

No.

DoubleTick only delivers the message through the official WhatsApp Business API.

This “Waiting for this message…” notice is generated inside WhatsApp itself due to encryption syncing between devices.

DoubleTick does not control encryption or message unlocking.

---

What Should You Do?

Here are the recommended steps to fix this quickly:

Ask Your Customer to:

✅ Turn on mobile data or Wi-Fi ✅ Update WhatsApp to the latest version ✅ Close and reopen WhatsApp ✅ Restart their phone ✅ Wait a few minutes while WhatsApp syncs messages

---

When Will the Message Appear?

In most cases, the message appears automatically once:

• The customer is online

• WhatsApp completes encryption verification

• The encryption key sync finishes successfully

---