A lot of smartphone owners use WhatsApp every day, mostly because of its cross-platform nature. I am one of them. WhatsApp allows me to send and receive messages, links, or photos and make voice and video calls. Lately, a number of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max users have run into a frustrating problem with WhatsApp: when trying to send a link, a photo, or another attachment, the app simply won’t let you press Next or Send. Everything works fine in Messages or Mail, but in WhatsApp, the share action stalls.
I looked into this issue, and it turns out you’re not alone. Many others have reported the same thing, and the root cause seems to have been tracked down.
The problem appears when Face ID App Lock is enabled directly inside WhatsApp’s own settings (WhatsApp > You > Privacy > App Lock). If this is turned on, the share sheet gets stuck and you can’t move forward with sending content.
Interestingly, if you enable Face ID for WhatsApp using the iOS system option (by long-pressing the app icon and choosing Require Face ID), the issue doesn’t occur. This makes it clear that the bug lies in how WhatsApp handles its built-in lock feature.
Interestingly, this issue mainly shows up when you use the iOS Share Sheet — for example, tapping the Share icon in Photos or Safari, choosing WhatsApp, selecting a contact, and then hitting Next. At that point, the button does nothing.
Furthermore, many users have noted that if you open WhatsApp directly and then attach the photo or paste the link inside the chat, it sometimes works without issue. That makes the bug even more confusing, since it doesn’t affect every sharing method in the same way.
What Can You Do?
Turn Off App Lock in WhatsApp
- Open WhatsApp.
- Go to You > Privacy > App Lock.
- Toggle off Require Face ID.
- Now try sharing a photo or link again — it should work.
Use iOS Face ID Lock Instead
- On your iPhone’s Home Screen, touch and hold the WhatsApp icon until the Quick Actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID, then tap Require Face ID again to lock the app. (Don’t choose Hide and Require Face ID unless you also want WhatsApp moved off your Home Screen into the Hidden folder in App Library.)
- This way, the app is still protected by Face ID, but the bug won’t prevent sharing.
Quick Toggle Method
If you prefer keeping App Lock inside WhatsApp, you can disable it temporarily when you need to share, then turn it back on afterward. Several users are doing this as a workaround for now. Yes, I know it is not practical and time consuming (you may want to try the steps below as well before this option).
Update WhatsApp and iOS
- Go to the App Store > Account > App Updates.
- Make sure you’re running the latest version. Meta (WhatsApp owner) has been releasing frequent updates, and the fix could be included in an upcoming build.
- Then go to Settings > General > Software Update to ensure that your device is up to date.
Share Directly Within WhatsApp
- If the problem happens when you use the iOS Share Sheet (for example, from Photos or Safari), try skipping that method. Instead, open WhatsApp first, go into the chat, and then:
- Tap the + icon (or attachment icon) inside WhatsApp.
- Choose Photo & Video Library or Paste link directly in the message box.
