How does blocking someone on whatsapp work


What Happens When You Block Someone on WhatsApp

  • Blocking someone on WhatsApp means you will no longer receive messages and calls from them.
  • Someone you've blocked can't see your "last seen" timestamp or status and profile picture updates.
  • There's no direct way for someone to know you've blocked them – WhatsApp doesn't notify them.

WhatsApp is a popular alternative to common messaging apps like iMessage and Facebook Messenger. Many people use WhatsApp on their phones as their primary means of contact with others. It's a good option for texting and group chats if your friends don't all have the same kind of phone or they live overseas.

However, it sometimes becomes necessary to block someone on WhatsApp. Whether you're getting calls or texts from unknown numbers, or you're being harassed by a contact, blocking them is an easy way to cease contact without having an uncomfortable confrontation.

Note: WhatsApp won't notify the person that you have blocked them – so don't be concerned that they will immediately find out.

What happens when you block someone on WhatsApp?

When you block someone on WhatsApp, you will stop receiving messages and calls from them. Even if they continue to send messages, they'll never show up on your phone.

Likewise, your information — status updates, profile picture changes, and "last seen" timestamps — will no longer be visible to the person you blocked.

When someone has blocked you, the timestamp indicating when they were last active won't appear. Melanie Weir/Insider

Blocking someone on WhatsApp may cease direct contact from that user, but it doesn't remove them from your contacts. To do that, you will have to remove their contact from your phone manually. You can also unblock someone you've blocked at any time — so if you need a break from someone for a little bit, you'll still be able to talk to them again when you're feeling up to it.

WhatsApp does their best to make it ambiguous whether or not you've been blocked, to protect their users' privacy.

Quick tip: Consider exiting any WhatsApp groups you and the person you have blocked both belong to, as you will still be able to see their messages within that group chat.

Melanie Weir

Freelance author

Melanie Weir is a freelance author for Insider, mainly focusing on the Tech Reference section, but occasionally contributing to Lifestyle and Entertainment topics as well. She is also a freelance writer for ScreenRant, and is the Lead Weekend News Editor at TheThings.com. In her spare time she writes plays for both stage and screen. She can be reached at [email protected], or through LinkedIn.

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What Happens When You Block Someone on WhatsApp

We answer all of your FAQs

Have you ever needed to block someone on WhatsApp? Whether it’s because of a toxic relationship, annoying messages or anything else, taking the step to block certain WhatsApp users is a big decision. But what actually happens once you block them? Do they get any notifications that you blocked them? How can you be sure they won’t see your messages anymore? We’ll answer all these questions and more in this article.

Also, make sure to check out our article on how to tell if someone blocked you on Discord. Each messaging app has a blocking feature and you should know how it works.

Table of Contents

    You Won’t Receive Messages Sent by the Blocked Contact

    When you block someone on WhatsApp and that person tries to message you, you won’t receive that message. Even if you later choose to unblock that contact, the messages they sent while they were blocked, won’t be delivered.

    When someone sends you a message a single gray tick sign (or a checkmark) appears. Two gray ticks mean the message was delivered. When they turn into two blue ticks, it means that the receiver read the message. A blocked person can still send you a message, but it’ll never be delivered. The sender will see only one gray tick. The “read your message” notification won’t appear for them.

    The Blocked Contact Won’t See Your Profile Photo

    When you block someone on WhatsApp, they won’t be able to see your profile picture anymore. They’ll see the default gray profile photo placeholder. If they tap on the photo placeholder, they’ll receive the “No Profile Photo” message.

    However, you’ll still be able to see the blocked contact’s profile photo.

    Your “Last Seen” Status Won’t Be Visible to the Blocked Person

    WhatsApp lets you see when people were last online on the app. Your contacts can see the same information about you when they open your chat window. The Last Seen feature displays the exact time when you were online last time. But if you block that person, they’ll no longer get this information about you.

    Similar to the Last Seen status, the blocked person won’t be able to see your status updates in the WhatsApp Status area. Your status message will also be hidden from them.

    You Won’t Receive WhatsApp Calls from the Blocked Person

    If you block someone on WhatsApp, they won’t be able to call you anymore. WhatsApp stops all incoming calls from blocked contacts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a voice or a video call, it will be blocked. If you want to be able to receive calls from that person again, you’ll have to unblock them. Also, if you just want some silence but still receive calls and messages, you should use WhatsApp’s mute feature.

    Group Chats Will Be Unaffected

    If you share a group chat with a person you blocked, remember that they’ll be able to send you messages through it. WhatsApp blocks any private messages, but the group ones remain unaffected. However, you can choose to leave that chat group, or simply ignore the messages sent by the blocked person.

    The Blocked Person Remains in Your WhatsApp Contact List

    If you block someone from your contact list, they won’t be able to call you or message you. However, they’ll remain on your WhatsApp contact list. That means you can still see their contact info, but if you want to permanently remove them, you’ll have to delete their phone number from your address book.

    How to Block a Contact on WhatsApp

    It doesn’t matter if you’re an Android or iOS user, you can use the methods described below to block someone on WhatsApp.

    1. Open WhatsApp.
    2. Tap the three dots menu and choose Settings.
    1. Go to Privacy settings and then Blocked Contacts.
    1. Tap Add New icon and search for the contact you want to block.

    And here’s how you can report and block any WhatsApp user. Again, this also works on both your iPhone and Android devices.

    1. Open the chat window with the person you want to block.
    2. Tap on the three dots menu and select More.
    1. In the new menu window choose Report and then Block.

    You can use this method to only block a contact. Just don’t tap the Report option.

    FAQ

    Can a blocked person see I blocked them?

    When you block a WhatsApp contact, they won’t see it. They won’t receive a notification that they were blocked. But the person can tell if they were blocked because they’ll no longer be able to see your profile or send new messages and make calls.

    Can the blocked person see the old WhatsApp messages?

    Yes, the blocked person can still see the old messages you sent them. The only way to permanently get rid of the old messages is to delete them.

    Can a blocked person see when I’m online?

    No. When you block someone on WhatsApp they can’t see certain information, including your online status. Keep in mind you also won’t be able to see if they are online.

    Can I see the Last Seen status if I block someone on WhatsApp?

    No, once you block someone you won’t be able to see their last Seen. Blocking stops any direct communication.

    Get Some Peace with WhatsApp Blocking Power

    Now that you know the main ins and outs of blocking someone on WhatsApp, you may feel a bit more confident in understanding and dealing with any sticky situations. Blocking someone on Whatsapp is a simple process, and sometimes it even helps bring about peace in your life. It can help you limit the messages coming from people you don’t want to talk to and give you a much-needed digital break from others.

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    How to find out that the interlocutor has blocked you on WhatsApp

    Those users who often use various kinds of instant messengers are quite familiar with the situation when one of the interlocutors does not respond to a message for quite some time. You might think that the person simply missed the notification of your message. But, damn it, “he can’t not answer all day, especially since he is active on other social networks!”. Common situation? Meanwhile, the interlocutor could well block you. And there are 2 ways to find out if this is so: either ask the person directly, or find out on your own with the help of simple manipulations.

    How do you know if you've been blocked? Easily!

    How to block a contact on WhatsApp

    First, let's see how it works. WhatsApp allows you to block contacts with whom, for one reason or another, you no longer want to have anything to do with. If you no longer want to receive constant calls or annoying messages from a particular person, then simply select him from the contact list and scroll down the page. There you will see the "Block contact" button. Click it and confirm this action. Now the contact you just blocked will no longer be able to send you messages or call you.

    How to know if you've been blocked on WhatsApp

    First, check the latest online status of the corresponding WhatsApp contact. At the top of the dialog (or in the subscriber's profile) you can see when the contact was last online. If you do not have access to this information, then there are 3 options: you were blocked, this contact decided not to share this information by choosing a special setting in the privacy menu, or you did the same (in this case, you do not just hide your online -status, but you won't be able to see the status of other contacts).

    It is also useless to look at the checkmarks next to your last message. As you know, two blue checkmarks mean that the message has been read, but this option called “Read Notification” is also easily disabled in the privacy settings.

    Interesting: How to hide WhatsApp chats and restore them if necessary The fact is that if you have been blocked on WhatsApp, then you will no longer be able to view the profile photo of the contact that blacklisted you. Instead of a profile picture, you will see a gray icon with a silhouette of a person. But there is a problem here too. If this subscriber has not used a photo in his profile before, then this trick will not work for you.

    But don't get upset. Try adding the contact to a new group. If you can't add a user to a group, then it probably means you've been banned. But if someone blocked you on WhatsApp, then think about whether you need such a company? Wouldn't it be better to change the environment to a more friendly one? For example, go to our chat in Telegram?

    Also remember that if you have been blocked on WhatsApp, then all the messages you send will never be delivered to the recipient, even if you are unblocked in the future. At the same time, when blocking occurs, the contact itself and correspondence (including sent media files) will remain in place.

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    How to know if you have been blocked on WhatsApp

    August 9, 2022 Likbez Technologies

    Five signs may indicate this.

    For your own safety, the messenger does not explicitly report that one of your contacts has added you to the blacklist. Therefore, you can only find out that you are blocked by indirect signs. By themselves, they do not mean anything, but if you encounter several of them at once, then this most likely means a ban from the interlocutor.

    1. Try to send a message

    Write something to the chat and pay attention to the number and color of checkmarks next to your messages. If the bird is one and gray, then the message did not reach the addressee. Perhaps the person is simply not online or his phone is dead, but if the second checkmark does not appear for a long time, most likely you have been banned.

    2. Check the status of the person you are talking to

    Usually under the name of the person in the chat is displayed “online” or something like “was (-s) today at 15:29". When there is nothing like that, this is also a sign of blocking.

    Although not always. The status will be absent if the person has hidden it with privacy settings. Or if you yourself hide the time of the last visit, then it will not be displayed for you either.

    3. View profile photo

    In addition to the status blocking also hides the user's avatar. If you remember exactly that the interlocutor had a profile photo, and now instead of it there is a gray circle with a silhouette, you are probably blacklisted.

    But remember that many simply do not add pictures to their account.

    4. Try to call

    Being on the black list of a specific person, you will not be able to contact him either by voice or video. Try calling him via whatsapp. If after several attempts you hear only beeps, and the connection is not established, most likely you have been banned.


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