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What can I do if I'm erroneously receiving the following error message from the official WhatsApp client:

screenshot of the app with the same error message as written below

You need the official WhatsApp to log in

Using an app other than the official WhatsApp has privacy and security risks. Use WhatsApp to register or log back in.

How to get the official WhatsApp
Download from app store or directly from WhatsApp. Go to official website

More accounts in one app
Now you can add phone numbers and use multiple accounts on WhatsApp. Learn more

[Download WhatsApp]
[Learn More]

The thing is: I am running the official version of the WhatsApp app, and I'm at a loss of what I can do.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Download and install the official WhatsApp client in the Aurora Store
  2. Open WhatsApp app
  3. Enter language
  4. Agree to Meta's WhatsApp ToS
  5. Enter my phone number
  6. Click Next
  7. Click Yes to confirm the number is correct
  8. Click Not now to prevent WhatsApp from accessing my SMS messages
  9. See error message (above)

If I click the links to download WhatsApp, there is no .apk that I can diff from what what I have. It just sends me to Google Play, which opens in Aurora. Aurora is an open-source alternative frontend for Google Play. It is not a mirror. All packages downloaded through Aurora will be verified to be cryptographically signed by their publisher before it can be installed, so I'm certain that I am using the official WhatsApp client -- unless Meta's release signing key was somehow compromised.

I am running Android 11 (Lineage OS) on a Pixel 3a. This is a de-googled phone; Google Apps is not installed. I searched the Internet, and I found that WhatsApp works for plenty of users running custom ROMs (eg Lineage, GrapheneOS, etc) without needing gapps, so that shouldn't be the issue.

I thought about getting one of those dumb phones that can send WhatsApp messages, but are those official WhatsApp clients? Would they work, or would I have the same issue?

I first used this phone number to setup WhatsApp last week. After I sent one short message saying hello to a friend, I got banned "for spam". I appealed the decision in-app, and about 24-hours later, my account was restored (WhatsApp said it was banned by mistake, and apologized). In order to use my account, I needed to get another OTP. But, after entering my number to initiate getting a new OTP -- as soon as the window opens prompting me to enter the OTP -- I'm redirected to this error message (above). It's an endless loop.

Is this error actually appearing because WhatsApp doesn't know how to detect their own app?!? Or is it some "fake" error message used to disguise that I've been shadow banned?

What can I do to use WhatsApp?

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    Similar question on reddit: HELP!! You Need The Official Whatsapp To Log In
    – user3870134
    Commented Jul 20 at 1:14
  • Exact same absurd error message problem a few days ago. They spam ban me by mistake they said. Now i have to revalidate my account but the sms code never comes. I think i will try to uninstall and reinstall, i didnt want to do that..
    – VeganEye
    Commented Aug 30 at 4:05

2 Answers 2

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The error tells you what the problem is - you need the official Whatsapp client. You haven't downloaded it from PlayStore, so its not necessarily official, despite what you may believe. Whatsapp is being tightened. It no longer works on Parallel space either. Because, now it supports multiple accounts right in the app.

You may also need to let it have access to SMS for two reasons.

  1. It may need it to read the SMS with a validation code. (I seem to recall that it reads it automatically). You can remove this access later - but see next item.
  2. If you message someone that does not have Whatsapp installed, it sends an SMS inviting them, automatically.

One thing you can try is to

  • Clear its data and cache in Settings
  • Uninstall it.
  • Install it again
  • Clear Cache and Data yet again, to make sure.
  • Give it a go.
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Since you’re using Aurora Store, even though it verifies the APKs, WhatsApp might still have issues recognizing it as the official app. I’d suggest trying to download the APK directly from the WhatsApp website instead of Aurora.

Also, I’ve seen cases where granting temporary SMS access during setup helped resolve similar issues—it might be worth a try, and you can always revoke the permission later.

If none of that works, uninstall the app, clear cache and data, and try reinstalling after a bit of a break. Sometimes WhatsApp servers act up and need time to reset things on their end.

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