If you are using the WhatsApp app or a similar app on your mobile device and keep getting the No apps can perform this action error when you try to open links with your browser or something else. This article will show you several different things you can do to solve the problem and get all your apps working again.
Related: How to mass delete Comments and Posts on WhatsApp.
Apps on mobile devices are usually pretty keen to keep everything you do inside of them to the point that they even have their own browsers now. While you may think this is a convenience thing, it’s actually to make sure that specific app collects as much data about you and your usage as possible. Putting that all aside though there is a bug has been introduced that prevents WhatsApp (and a few other apps) from detecting and using other apps like browsers.
For example, if you are browsing conversations and messages in WhatsApp and decide to click on a link WhatsApp will ask which app you’d like to open the link with, which is usually a browser. However, rather than show you options, WhatsApp will now say No apps can perform this action. Unfortunately, this issue was introduced in a recent update but there are a few workarounds that you can use to solve the problem and get WhatsApp to open content in other apps.
How do you fix WhatsApp - No apps can perform this action. WhatsApp app not detecting other apps.
The first thing that you can do to solve this problem is to switch from opening web links externally (using a separate Internet browser app) to internally. This will open everything with WhatsApp's internal browser. While this isn’t ideal for everyone all the time it is a decent workaround until they patch the problem officially.
- To switch to opening links in WhatsApp internally open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Next, scroll down and tap Set as Default.
- Now enable Open supported links.
After you make this change, you will able able to open links using the internal browser. Alternatively, you can try the next solution if this doesn’t sit right with you.
Install an older version of WhatsApp using an APK file to fix No apps can perform this action.
If you don’t want to use the in-app browser that comes with WhatsApp to open links or you need to open other stuff that shows the same error you can sideload an older version of WhatsApp using an APK file.
- To begin, head on over to apkmirror and download an older version of WhatsApp, something at least a month old seems to work best.
- Once you have the APK file on your device open and install it. If you aren’t sure how to do this check out our full guide on installing APK files on Android here.
- Now that you have WhatsApp installed again, you will need to disable automatic updates in the Google Play Store, otherwise, it will automatically update you to the latest version of WhatsApp again and the problem will return.
How to disable automatic updates in the Google Play Store.
This is the most important part of the process otherwise your phone will automatically reinstall the latest version of WhatsApp that has issues.
- Open the Google Play Store, then tap your Profile picture.
- Next tap Settings then Network Preferences.
- Finally, tap Auto-update apps and choose Don’t auto-update apps and tap Done.
Now no apps on your device will automatically update. You can manually update them from the Manage apps and device screen. Just tap update next to the apps you want to update and they will update. It’s probably worth waiting about a month before getting the newest version of WhatsApp, hopefully, they will have solved this issue by then.
