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How to check if someone has whatsapp


2 ways to check if a phone number is on WhatsApp or not

One of the biggest annoyances with WhatsApp used to be that you couldn’t see whether a particular phone number was registered with the service unless it was saved in the Contacts app on your iPhone. That changed with WhatsApp version 2.19.30. Now you can easily see if any phone number is on WhatsApp before messaging it, and iDB shows you how.

This feature is handy when you want to see if a person whose phone number you know is using WhatsApp or not. Before WhatsApp 2.19.30, you had to first save a number in the Contacts app for WhatsApp to be able to determine if it’s on the service.

So the next time you meet someone and manage to get their phone number, you can check if they’re on WhatsApp before saving them as a contact. Follow along with us as we show you how.

How to see if a phone number is on WhatsApp or not

1) Open WhatsApp and be on the Chats screen.

2) Tap the new chat button from the top-right.

3) Select New Contact.

4) Type or paste the full phone number you want to check.

  • If the owner of this number has a WhatsApp account, it will show a green checkmark and say, “This phone number is on WhatsApp.”
  • If the number is not registered with WhatsApp, it will display, “This phone number is not on WhatsApp. Invite to WhatsApp.”
  • In case the number you check is already saved to your phone and has a WhatsApp account, it will show a green checkmark and say, “This phone number is already in your contacts. View contact.”

5) Tap Cancel to exit this option or type in a person’s first and last name along with any other details before tapping Save (you’ll review contact details on the next screen).

Important: Don’t overuse this feature because WhatsApp will refuse to check new phone numbers after a few successive attempts.

How to check if a number is on WhatsApp or not using Safari

The above method is very easy, but you should know about a second method as well.

1) Open Safari, and in the address bar, type https://wa.me/ followed by the country code and the phone number you want to check. wa.me is the official short URL for WhatsApp. For example, if you wish to check if 987654321 is available on WhatsApp or not, type: https://wa.me/+1987654321. In this case, +1 is the country code (for the USA).

2) Once you have typed everything, tap the enter key on the keyboard.

3) You’ll see a popup saying Open this page in “WhatsApp”? Tap Open.

4) If the phone number is not registered on WhatsApp, it will say, “The phone number isn’t on WhatsApp.”

5) If the number is registered on WhatsApp, it will open the chat screen. You can start a chat with this person (without saving the number!) or go back to exit the screen.

More WhatsApp tips:

  • How to stop WhatsApp from saving images to your iPhone Photos app
  • WhatsApp rolls out disappearing messages with multiple durations to everyone
  • How to send pictures in full quality on iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal

How to Check if Someone Else is Using Your WhatsApp Account

Like many other online applications, WhatsApp does its best to keep its users’ data private and secure. The platform is relatively safe with features such as one login at a time and two-factor authentication.

But, like anything connected to the internet, there are security vulnerabilities that nefarious individuals are all too happy to explore. Due to the nature of WhatsApp, it’s essential to act fast if you think your account got breached.

This article will teach you how to spot suspicious activity on WhatsApp and teach you how to secure your account. Let’s dive in!

1. Sign in to Your WhatsApp Account

To better understand how WhatsApp security works, we’ll first walk you through logging into your account. WhatsApp provides two ways to access; online and via iOS WhatsApp Messenger or the Android WhatsApp app.

Using WhatsApp’s web version makes it a lot easier to type, as you can do it on a keyboard rather than tapping on your phone screen. However, you have to start with your mobile device.

  1. Open a WhatsApp Web session on your tablet or phone by tapping the vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots) menu icon in the main WhatsApp window.
  2. Select WhatsApp Web. This opens your camera to use on the next step.
  3. You will be directed to scan a QR code, which you can get by opening WhatsApp Web in your browser.
  4. Open WhatsApp Web using a browser on your PC.
  5. Scan the QR code in the browser window using your device’s camera.

You can now type messages using your PC’s keyboard, and your WhatsApp window on your phone should match what you see in the browser, allowing you to chat and interact as usual.

2. Check if Someone is Using Your WhatsApp Account

WhatsApp is relatively easy to use. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to spot an interloper if they aren’t interacting with the application. This scenario would most likely be someone who only wants to eavesdrop on your conversations, but some hackers also want to take over your account.

Regardless of their intentions, we will use this section to educate you on some warning signs that someone is in your account.

  1. Check Your WhatsApp Activity. When you open WhatsApp, you’ll first see a list of messages. Review this list for any messages you didn’t send or received from people you don’t know.
  2. Check your contact information. If the interloper tries to hijack your account, they’ll start changing your contact information. On mobile, tap on the vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots) in the upper right-hand corner.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Select your profile at the top of the menu.
  5. Review the information and verify that it is accurate and up-to-date.
  6. If anything changed, or there is information that you do not recognize, you’ll need to secure your account. Follow the steps in the next section on using two-step verification.
  7. Check for Messages from WhatsApp. Search your messages by typing WhatsApp in the search bar at the top on iPhone or using the magnifying glass on Android. Look for messages about account changes or access.
  8. Check for New Friends. Review your contacts on WhatsApp by opening the app and tapping on the Chat icon in the lower right-hand corner. Confirm that no new, unknown friends have appeared on the list.
  9. Check the latest chat sessions. View the last session or any open session by tapping the vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots) menu icon.
  10. Select Linked devices.
  11. Review the Last active… list for any unknown devices.
  12. If you find an unknown device, tap it and select Log Out.

Unlike other services, the steps above are the only way to see your WhatsApp login activity.

Securing Your WhatsApp Account

If you find that someone else is using your account, it’s time to secure it. Keep in mind that if any of the situations mentioned above are present, you’ll need to act quickly.

How to Enable Two-Factor Authentication in WhatsApp

If someone has been using your WhatsApp account, you need to lock it down. If you’re lucky, it’s a sibling or partner spying on what you’re doing. If you’re not so fortunate, it could be a hacker stealing your contacts and data and wreaking havoc with your social life. Either way, you need to lock it down by turning on two-factor authentication.

WhatsApp doesn’t use passwords. Instead, you need to enable two-factor authentication. That way, anyone trying to log in must enter a  verification code.

  1. Open WhatsApp and select the vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots) menu icon from the main window.
  2. Select Settings and then Account.
  3. Choose Two-step verification, then tap on Enable.
  4. Type a 6-digit PIN code, then tap on Next.

Once set, you need to enter that PIN code to authenticate every time you open WhatsApp. Make sure the PIN isn’t something obvious that others could choose. After completing the above steps, you have secured your WhatsApp account even further.

WhatsApp is a very secure app but is only as safe as you keep it. Using two-factor authentication is a viable way to lock down your account if someone has been accessing it.

WhatsApp Hacked FAQs

What can I do if I’ve lost access to my WhatsApp account?

Chances are that a hacker has taken over your account. When this happens, you can’t log in, and all of your account information is in the hands of the hacker. Getting your account back can be complicated. Fortunately, you can still reclaim your WhatsApp account.

I received a text verification code from WhatsApp. Does that mean someone is using my account?

One of the more notorious ways someone can gain access to your WhatsApp account is by obtaining the text verification code. If WhatsApp sends you a text verification code that you didn’t envoke, it’s best to ignore it.

You may even receive multiple codes back to back. However, WhatsApp will only send so many verification codes within a specific period. Afterward, the app will lock you out if you log out.

How to find out if a person has WhatsApp: practical ways

Posted on 06/21/2019 7 Comments0

Many people now use WhatsApp to communicate, but not all. Do you want to start a conversation with a person in this messenger, but you are not sure if he has this application on his phone? Ask him directly about it - in a personal meeting or when talking on the phone. If it is not possible to ask, check in the messenger itself whether your future interlocutor has registered there.

You can find out if a person has registered with WhatsApp, but only if you know his phone number. If you don't know, you need to get it: in social networks, through friends, etc. All contacts from your phone book that have WhatsApp will be shown as a list in the messenger.

Messenger on Android

How to view the list of contacts who have WhatsApp in the Android application:

  1. Add the person's phone number to your address book on your smartphone first, if you have not already done so.
  2. Open WhatsApp, go to the section for calls. Tap on the round green plus button.

    In the section for calls, click on the icon in the lower right corner

  3. Try to find in the list of contacts the person with whom you want to start chatting in the messenger.

    Find a contact in the suggested list

  4. If the person is not available, try updating the list. To do this, click on the three dots at the top and click on the appropriate option.

    Update your contact list from your address book

  5. Please wait while the list is updated - you will receive a notification. Review the list again. If a person is still not there, then he does not use WhatsApp.

    After the update, a message will appear

In the application on iOS

If you have an iPhone, do the following:

  1. Open the section with dialogs. Click on the square icon with a pen to start creating a new chat.
  2. Find the person you want to chat with in the New Chat section if you have previously added their phone number to your phone contacts.

    Proceed to create a new contact in the messenger

  3. If not added, click on "New Contact".
  4. Start entering a phone number. When you're done, you should see a notification under the line whether the person is using WhatsApp or not.

    Enter the number and look at the message below

  5. You may also see a message that this contact is already in your address book. Click on "View". If it becomes possible to start a dialogue with a person, then he is on WhatsApp.

    The program showed that the contact is already in your address book

  6. If you do not receive any notification under the number field, update the messenger in the App Store.

Do not get carried away with this method of determining if a user has WhatsApp, otherwise the messenger will simply stop showing you information.

To find out for sure whether your future interlocutor is on WhatsApp or not, first find out his phone number. Add it to your mobile device's notebook. Launch WhatsApp and go to the contacts section and see if the person is on the list or not.

  • Author: Ekaterina Vasilyeva