Voice messages have been trending again since social media platforms introduced texting and calls. What was once a luxury only a few could afford, in the form of early answering machines, is now the preferred means of communication among friends, family members, co-workers and others.
If you think about it, that also makes sense. If you can save a message and hit send, why text and fight the dreaded autocorrect feature? Unfortunately, this is a feature in WeChat that does not always perform optimally. Let’s look at how you can fix this common problem.
Check WeChat Settings
If you haven’t configured the app properly or a bad update has changed some of your settings, you should double-check that every option linked to the voicemail feature is turned on.
There are four important options or permissions you need to give WeChat for voicemail to work:
- Microphone
- Phone
- SMS
- to store
You can re-enable them by going to your phone’s “Settings” menu, under “App Permissions” and finding WeChat. This process may differ slightly from one smartphone to another.
Make sure all the previously mentioned fields are enabled.
Check WeChat Version
“Unplayable” was a known issue in WeChat 6.5.16. It is a recurring problem to this day, although most users have fixed this when a new patch is released. So, if you are having trouble playing voicemails, one of the first things you should do is to update the app to its latest version.
To find out if you have the latest version, go to the Play Store or App Store, depending on your device. If not, do an update from the store. You may still be using an outdated version of the app, especially if you have turned off automatic updates on your phone.
Common Fixes on Most Smartphones
When certain bugs or issues occur, most of the time an incompatibility issue is to blame. The same can be said for the “Unplayable” error that some WeChat users have reported.
If you haven’t had much trouble before and haven’t had similar issues with other apps, here are some general guidelines you can follow when a simple update isn’t enough.
Clearing the Data Cache
Clearing the app cache should be sufficient for this particular issue.
- Go to your Applications section (process may vary depending on your smartphone and operating system).
- Find the WeChat icon.
- Tap the icon.
- Go to Storage.
- Select ‘Clear app data’ or ‘Clear app cache’.
Reopen the app and try playing the voicemail again.
Resetting the Phone
If restarting the app didn’t fix the problem, try performing a soft reset on your iPhone or Android device.
on iPhone:
- Press and hold the Volume Up or Down key along with the Sleep button.
- Keep it pressed until a menu with the “Turn off” icon appears.
- For older iPhones, you can hold the buttons for 10 seconds.
- Release the buttons when the Apple logo appears.
On Android:
- Go to settings.”
- Find and select “Backup and reset”.
- Tap “Reset settings”.
- Tap “Reset settings” again to confirm.
Of course an alternative would be to turn your phone off and then back on. This is a common fix for freezes and slow browsing.
Reload Application
Reinstalling the app usually does two things. First of all, it guarantees that you will get the latest version of the application. Secondly, uninstalling the app also clears the app data cache. This means that corrupted files will be deleted and no longer cause problems.
on iPhone:
- Go to settings.”
- Tap “General”.
- Tap on “Storage”.
- Find and select WeChat.
- Tap Delete app.
- Tap Delete again to confirm.
On Android:
- Go to settings.”
- Go to your “Applications” section.
- Find and select WeChat.
- Tap “Remove”.
Note that some steps and file paths may differ slightly from one phone model to another.
After uninstalling the app, go to the App Store or Play Store and reinstall the app. You will need to re-enter your login information. One more thing worth mentioning is that you won’t be able to control whether you can listen to voicemails until you receive a new message as all old messages will be removed along with the app.
How Often Does WeChat Misfire For You?
WeChat is such a complex app that it’s not surprising that it sometimes underperforms. Coding needs to accommodate a wide variety of smartphones and operating systems, which sometimes makes it difficult for developers to please everyone.
Now that you know how to fix the “Cannot Play” error, let us know how many times you have encountered this issue. Also did you find any other workarounds? Let us know if we missed something in the comments below.
