WhatsApp for iPhone XS Max

No. WhatsApp currently requires iOS 15.1 or later, and the iPhone XS Max can run modern iOS (up to iOS 18 and beyond), so your phone stays fully supported. The end-of-support warnings only affect much older devices stuck on iOS 12 or 13, such as the iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus. To stay current, open Settings > General > Software Update and install the latest iOS. See how others solved this on Reddit

WhatsApp has dropped support for iOS 14 and earlier, but your iPhone XS Max officially supports much newer versions (up to iOS 18). Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the newest version available, then update or reinstall WhatsApp from the App Store. If the over-the-air update won't appear or fails, connect the phone to a computer and update through Finder (macOS Catalina or later) or iTunes. See how others solved this on Reddit

First force-close WhatsApp (swipe up from the bottom of the screen, pause, then flick the WhatsApp card away) and reopen it. If it still misbehaves, restart the phone, update WhatsApp in the App Store, and make sure iOS is current under Settings > General > Software Update. As a last resort, delete and reinstall WhatsApp; during setup it will restore your chats from your most recent iCloud backup, so confirm a backup exists first under WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. See how others solved this on Reddit

Start by force-closing the app (swipe up and flick the WhatsApp card away) and restarting your iPhone, since a stuck background process is the most common cause. Then check the App Store for a WhatsApp update and confirm iOS is up to date under Settings > General > Software Update. If it still won't launch, delete and reinstall WhatsApp from the App Store; on first launch it will offer to restore your chats from your iCloud backup. See how others solved this on Reddit

Make sure WhatsApp has full notification permission under Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp (turn on Allow Notifications, Sounds, Banners, and Lock Screen), and check that a Focus or Do Not Disturb mode isn't silencing calls. Enable Background App Refresh under Settings > General > Background App Refresh (and confirm WhatsApp is toggled on), and turn off Low Power Mode, which pauses background activity that delivers incoming calls. If you're on a VPN or a restricted network, try disabling it, since WhatsApp calling is blocked or throttled in some regions. See how others solved this on Reddit

Check that the side ring/silent switch isn't set to silent and that the volume is turned up while audio is playing. If voice notes play quietly through the earpiece instead of the speaker, it's the proximity sensor: hold the phone flat and away from your face so it doesn't switch to earpiece mode. Cleaning out the speaker grille and turning Bluetooth off under Settings > Bluetooth also helps when audio is being routed to a paired headset or speaker. See how others solved this on Reddit