WhatsApp crashing on iPhone 15 after opening

You should contact Meta. There was an update to WhatsApp issued 3 days ago to version 26.4.73 and it would not be unusual with Automatic App Updates turned on to have it updated on your device yesterday. That would not be the first time a Meta update had introduced a bug that needed to be resolved by another update. There have actually been 8 updates to WhatsApp in just the last month.

All you can do on your device is the steps you have already performed. You could check your storage space at Settings > General > iPhone Storage to make sure it is not running out, but I doubt that is the problem and it will likely be something that Meta needs to resolve.

Advanced User wrote:

Did you manage to restore your chats from the backup without any problems?

Your original post said you did that where all the data on your phone for WhatsApp would have been deleted. If you simply offloaded the app, that is not going to have the same results. Here is the information provided by WhatsApp for backing up and restoring your Chat History.

https://faq.whatsapp.com/1144861179456352

WhatsApp suggests the same thing to delete and reinstall when you are having problems. Although this specific Support Article is for WhatsApp Business, the process is exactly the same.

https://faq.whatsapp.com/409216651733024/?cms_platform=iphone&helpref=platform_switcher

WhatsApp released a new update just a few hours ago, version 26.5.77. What version are you currently using? You may need to delete WhatsApp app and download the new version.

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are all owned the same company, Meta. Meta tracks what you do across multiple apps and sites and sells your activity. WhatsApp developers have been updating fairly regularly, to say the least. Report the bug and wait a few days.

You might also try following this path,

iPhone > Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking > what do you see? You might try allowing apps to Request to Track and see what happens when you launch WhatsApp.

Bas ten Tusscher wrote:

Same problem, any news? Meta says it’s an Apple problem.. Ios 26 makes me rethink my unconditionally love..

That is not unusual. Meta is the one that makes their app compatible and bug free on the devices they support including iOS 26. It has never been the other way around where Apple (or even Android) makes their OS compatible with a third party app. Meta will figure it out and you will see an update for their app that resolves the problem. That has always been the case, and not the first time that has happened and certainly won't be the last based on their track record.

Reinstall WhatsApp fixed it for me

Meta support has been advising that their app (WhatsApp) be deleted before downloading and installing their latest bug fixes. I guess some of the fixes may not be applied if prior version is not deleted.

Users have been reporting that they are able to restore previous chats. However, the best answers will come from meta support and be based upon their most recent testing of their bug fixes.

I’ve been experiencing the same issue. My iPhone hadn’t been updated, so I set aside a day to update both WhatsApp and my phone, starting with WhatsApp. After restoring my backup, I realised all my contacts were missing in WhatsApp. The contacts are still on my phone, but for some reason, WhatsApp refuses to recognise them.

Both ChatGPT and Gemini sent me on a wild goose chase, so I updated my iOS as well, hoping it would fix the problem — but it didn’t. Since then, I’ve backed up, deleted, and reinstalled WhatsApp twice. On top of dealing with app crashes every 15–20 seconds, my contacts still won’t sync with my phone contacts.

It’s extremely frustrating, to say the least. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you call Meta, you should expect to be told that it is an Apple problem. That's the first rule in most support departments. Blame the other guy.

But, about 10 updates in just the last month from Meta. Got to be a reason for that. It might take 10 more updates, but Meta will eventually figure it out.

My chats restored correctly, but my contacts didn’t. The contacts are still on my phone, yet WhatsApp isn’t recognising or syncing them.

When I try saving contacts manually, WhatsApp seems to arbitrarily decide which ones to save and which ones not to, which makes the situation even more confusing.

At this point, I’m dealing with constant app crashes every 15–20 seconds, and my contacts still won’t sync. It’s incredibly frustrating.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Same problem, any news? Meta says it’s an Apple problem.. Ios 26 makes me rethink my unconditionally love..

For me too

Yes is got my Chats back