WhatsApp crashes immediately after successful Google Drive restore (Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite SM-T515)
If any WhatsApp developer or moderator reads this, I would be happy to provide additional information or test a beta version if it helps identify the problem. My chat history is very important to me.
Device Information
Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (SM-T515)
Operating System: Android 11
One UI: 3.1
WhatsApp version: Latest version available from Google Play (July 2026)
Storage: Internal storage only (no microSD card installed)
Network: Stable Wi-Fi connection throughout installation and restore process
Problem Summary
WhatsApp worked normally until approximately two days ago.
Without any known system changes, the application suddenly started crashing.
Current behaviour:
Tap WhatsApp icon
Green WhatsApp logo appears for approximately one second
Application immediately closes
No error message
Returns directly to Home screen
The crash occurs every time.
Timeline
Day 1
WhatsApp suddenly began crashing immediately after launch.
No Android update had been installed beforehand.
No changes were made to the device.
Troubleshooting performed
Restarted tablet
Cleared WhatsApp cache
Confirmed Android 11 is fully updated
Confirmed WhatsApp is the latest Google Play version
All other applications work normally
Booted device into Safe Mode
Result:
Safe Mode cannot be used because WhatsApp is disabled (greyed-out icon) on this Samsung device.
Reinstallation
WhatsApp was completely removed.
A fresh installation from Google Play was performed.
The following steps completed successfully:
✓ Phone number entered
✓ SMS verification successful
✓ Google Drive backup automatically detected
Backup date:
June 2026
Approximate backup size:
~2.7 GB (estimated)
Restore process:
Started normally
Restore required significant time
Appeared to finish successfully
Immediately after restore completed:
WhatsApp started crashing again.
Current behaviour returned:
Green logo
↓
Immediate crash
↓
Back to Home screen
Environment
Device remained connected to Wi-Fi during the entire restore.
No SD card installed.
No battery optimisation changes.
No third-party cleaners or antivirus software installed.
Google account functioning normally.
Google Drive backup detected automatically by WhatsApp.
Important observations
The application is capable of:
✓ Installing normally
✓ Verifying the phone number
✓ Connecting to Google Drive
✓ Detecting the correct backup
✓ Beginning restore
✓ Completing restore (apparently)
The crash occurs only after restored account data is loaded.
Actions already completed
✓ Restart device
✓ Clear cache
✓ Reinstall WhatsApp
✓ Verify Android updates
✓ Verify Google Play updates
✓ Verify Google Play Services
✓ Verify Android System WebView
✓ Safe Mode tested
✓ Samsung Members error report submitted
✓ WhatsApp Support contacted
WhatsApp Support case
Ticket:
1976089829686965
Unfortunately, only automated AI responses have been received.
No human technical investigation has yet taken place.
Technical hypothesis
Based on the observed behaviour, this does not appear to be a basic installation problem.
Possible causes include:
failure while loading restored account data
incompatibility between current WhatsApp version and restored backup
issue affecting specific Android/Samsung configuration
backup integrity issue (cannot currently be confirmed)
The backup itself appears to exist because WhatsApp detects it automatically and begins restoration.
Questions
Has anyone experienced:
WhatsApp crashing immediately after a successful Google Drive restore?
Similar behaviour on Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (SM-T515)?
A solution that preserves the existing chat history?
Any technical advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.