Why is my online store suddenly freezing?

Topic summary

Stores began freezing/becoming unresponsive across all browsers and devices. The issue was reproduced after clearing cache/cookies, using Chrome incognito, and on mobile (including mobile data).

Support input: No widespread outage reported. Suggested contacting Shopify Support via the help center and noted the problem might be theme- or app-related, especially since affected stores use different themes.

Cause identified: A “WhatsApp Chat” app integration appears to trigger the freeze. Multiple users uninstalled it and confirmed their sites resumed working.

Actions/outcomes: Uninstall the WhatsApp Chat app; contact the app developer for a fix. One user replaced it with Shopify’s built-in chat.

Status: Not a confirmed Shopify-wide issue; likely an app-specific problem. Discussion remains open, with a pending request for the exact app name.

Summarized with AI on December 15. AI used: gpt-5.

@ESO I noticed we both use that Whatsapp Chat app. I have uninstalled it and it seems to be what is causing the issue.

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