Surely you want to remember how to activate WhatsApp , after having taken a short walk through the rest of the messaging apps and realizing that, perhaps, Telegram or Signal do not meet your expectations and we really do not blame you for it; so if you have returned to your origins, we will explain how to get your favorite chats working again.
Certainly, the privacy situation of WhatsApp made thousands of users flee in terror, but now that things have calmed down a bit many want to return and it was so long ago that they created their account that they want to remember how to complete the installation process and get it. We explain in a simple way.
The first thing that you should take into account, although it is too obvious, is that you must have the WhatsApp app installed again , when you open it, one of the first steps that the platform will request is the verification of the number and the user, precisely the methods that you we will explain below.
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Activate WhatsApp automatically by SMS
This is, without a doubt, the most used and the most practical method to activate WhatsApp. The app simply sends you an SMS to your mobile using the number you registered at the beginning and the app itself will probably detect when the message arrives and will automatically add the code.
Now we explain the method step by step:
- Download WhatsApp again from the Android or iOS app store.
- Enter your phone number.
- Wait for the SMS with the six-digit code that will be loaded automatically, although you can also do it manually.
- At this point the backup and your contacts will be synchronized.
Activation by call of your account in WhatsApp
The second best known alternative to activate WhatsApp on your mobile is through call verification . Once you cannot receive the SMS, the app allows you to request a call to dictate the security code, your mobile will automatically ring with an automated call and a robot will tell you a code that you must also write down on the screen.
The procedure is quite similar to the previous one:
- Install the app directly from the Google or Apple app store.
- Add the phone number and you must also enter the code of your country.
- Wait a minute and then click on the “Call” option.
- By copying the six digits dictated by the robot, then the backup and contact installation will begin.
Activate WhatsApp without verification code
Now is the time for the more complicated things. If you are traveling or you do not have your mobile SIM card with you, you will not be able to install the app and this is because the company itself indicates that it is necessary to use the verification code to be able to verify that this phone number belongs to you.
The verification code will not arrive by email and you will not be able to receive it on the phone of a third party, so there is no other way out.
However, we have found a method on the Internet that some users claim does work , although our test was not successful. However, we leave you the steps so you can try your luck.
- It all starts by reinstalling the app on your mobile from the respective app stores
- Now put the mobile in Airplane mode and activate the WiFi connection without removing Airplane mode from your phone
- Write your phone number and at this point, clearly you will not receive any SMS.
- Apparently it asks for an alternative method that would be the email and there you must add the same one.
- They indicate that you must press send and almost immediately press “Cancel”
- They ensure that you will receive the code that you must copy on the screen and once done, remove the Airplane mode.
Receive a verification code without requesting it
This is one of the main WhatsApp and identity theft scams on this platform, because a verification code from the messaging app will never arrive by mistake or by chance, so if it happens the platform itself alerts you of the attempted registration of an account with your phone number.
Possibly it is a mistake on the part of a user who wrongly dialed your number in the app, but also (and most likely) it is an attempt to steal your account , so you should avoid at all costs sharing this verification number that you receive with any person or by any means other than the communication channel with WhatsApp.
The code scam on WhatsApp
In fact, it is one of the most popular WhatsApp scams today. Usually you can receive a verification code and seconds later you can receive a message from an “acquaintance” who has already been a victim of identity theft and that tells you that by mistake he / she sent that code to your mobile for you to provide it.
Another method that is also happening is to receive a previous SMS from an unknown number indicating that they are writing to you from WhatsApp and that they need to make a security confirmation of your account, minutes later you will receive a security code that you did not request and you must then send it by that same way to the phone number that you wrote in the first place.
These are the latest scams circulating on WhatsApp
In this way you will have already been the victim of a scam, since WhatsApp does not contact its users in this way and there is no customer service management through SMS.
A more sophisticated method has been put into practice and that is that in the SMS you receive it also has a link that you must follow to verify your mobile and once you press it they can proceed to verify your account in some way and thus completely steal your identity in the platform and all your information.
However, you don’t need to worry. If due to some carelessness and ignorance you have fallen into the trap, nothing happens, you just have to start the verification process of your account again using your phone number and requesting the security code via SMS and we also recommend, in this case, to activate the function two-step verification.
The steps to activate WhatsApp 2-Step Verification are pretty straightforward.
It is an additional security tool that you can manage from the settings menu and that allows you to configure an additional six-digit code to the one that the platform sends and in case of changing the device and making a new configuration of your account you must add it so you can complete the registration process.
We explain step by step how to do it:
- Enter the Settings menu of the app,
- Select the Account option.
- In the third place of the options that are displayed is the Verification in two steps, click on it.
- When choosing the activate option, it will ask you to enter a six-digit PIN that will be requested regularly and when you make a new registration.
- Then you must repeat it to confirm that it is the same combination of numbers.
- Next you must add an email account that will allow you to reset the PIN in case you forget it and thus your account is not totally blocked.
Once this point is completed, the two-step verification of WhatsApp has been active for your account.
