WhatsApp link preview, and why it vanishes

WhatsApp link preview not showing is usually cache or bytes, not a missing tag. WhatsApp reads og:title, og:description, and og:image like everyone else, then stores the card on their side for a long time.

The OG image checker approximates a WhatsApp bubble from those tags and warns when the image is over 1 MB (WhatsApp and iMessage are the picky ones) or is not HTTPS.

Make the file boring

• 1200×630, 1.91:1 — OG image size
• Absolute https:// URL. Relative paths and http:// files fail the same way they fail on Facebook.
• Under 1 MB. JPEG often wins for photos; PNG is fine for type-on-color if you keep it small
• Do not rely on WebP as the only format if you have seen WhatsApp skip it; PNG/JPEG are the safe pair

Cache

WhatsApp does not offer a public debugger. Practical moves:

1. Change the image URL (new filename or query), not only the pixels at the old URL.
2. Send the link in a new chat. Old threads keep the old unfurl.
3. Wait. It is slower than Facebook’s scrape-again button.

If Facebook Sharing Debugger and LinkedIn Post Inspector already show the new image but WhatsApp does not, you are in cache land. You cannot flush it from your CMS.

The general blank-card list: why your OG image is not showing.

iMessage

Apple is similar: OG tags, aggressive cache, size sensitivity. The same 1200×630 HTTPS file is the right artifact.

Generate that file with the OG image generator. PNG is free; if the PNG is over 1 MB, Pro JPEG is usually the smaller export. Confirm the page (not just the PNG) in the checker before you paste it into a group chat as a test.