WhatsApp revolutionized the way people communicate. The chatting and messaging platform is used by so many people due to its convenience and compatibility. However, you might have found that when you block a number on your phone, the person can still reach you via WhatsApp. As such, one of the most frequently asked questions about this messaging platform is, “How do I block someone on WhatsApp?” In this guide, we’re going to tell you three ways to do this.
Secretly Block Someone on WhatsApp: Is It Possible?
Yes. Thankfully, you can block someone on WhatsApp, and they won’t know. When you block someone, they won’t be able to see your profile photo or any status updates. The messages sent to you also won’t be delivered.
3 Ways to Block Someone on WhatsApp Secretly
There are three ways to block someone on WhatsApp. In the following section, we’ll tell you how to block someone on WhatsApp really easily.
Method 1: WhatsApp Chats
This way of blocking someone involves using a built-in feature of WhatsApp that allows you to block a contact. Here are the steps you need to take:
- Open WhatsApp.
- Go to the chat with the person you would like to block and open it.
- Tap their name at the top of the chat.
- Scroll down the menu that pops up.
- Select ‘block’.
- You will see a message that tells you that the person won’t be able to call you or send you messages.
- Confirm you want to block the contact by selecting ‘block’.
- The contact will be blocked from WhatsApp. This doesn’t mean, however, that they’ll be blocked from SMS, calls, or other social media apps. As such, you should check all settings individually.
Method 2: WhatsApp Settings
Another method how to block a number on WhatsApp is through the WhatsApp settings and changing the privacy settings. This method means there is no need to locate each chat individually. The WhatsApp settings mean you can do it all in one go and block more than one person at a time.
Here are the steps to take:
- Open the WhatsApp app.
- Select account.
- Tap on ‘privacy’
- Next, go to ‘blocked.’
- Then tap ‘add new.’
- Add everyone you want to block.
Wondering how to block numbers on WhatsApp without any effort? With this method, you can do this all at once, so it’s the best way if there is more than one contact you want to block, as it can save time.
Method 3: WhatsApp Messages
The third way to block someone directly from WhatsApp is through messages. Here are the steps for this method:
- Open your WhatsApp app and find any messages from people who aren’t in your phone contacts.
- Open a message.
- Because the contact is not in your list, you’ll see a message saying ‘This sender is not in your contact list’ followed by three options: report, block, and add to contacts. You need to tap ‘block’.
This method, however, is only available when people are sending you messages that aren’t on your contact list. If they’re already on your contact list, you’ll have to choose one of the other methods to block them.
If you believe the message to be spam, you need to report it as such too, as this helps WhatsApp deal with people who are sending spam messages.
How You Can Unblock Someone on WhatsApp
So, now we’ve learned how to block on WhatsApp iPhone and Android devices, it’s also important to learn how to unblock them in case you change your mind. The way to do this will depend on your operating software.
For people using Android, you’ll need to open WhatsApp on your phone. Then, you need to click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the app. After this, tap ‘settings’ and then ‘account’. The following step is to tap on privacy and then you can scroll down to choose ‘blocked contacts’. This will bring up a list of contacts that are blocked. When you find the person you want to unblock, select the contact on long press. Then, click ‘unlock’ on the pop-up menu that appears.
For those using iOS, it’s a similar process. Press the three vertical dots when inside WhatsApp, then click ‘settings’. After this, tap ‘account’ then ‘privacy’. From this, scroll down to ‘blocked’ and click on it. Finally, swipe left on any contacts you want to unblock and tap ‘unblock’.
You’ve Blocked/Unblocked Someone: What’s Next?
You might be wondering what happens when you block someone on WhatsApp, do they know? Thankfully, they won’t be notified that you’ve blocked or unblocked them. However, you won’t be able to receive their messages when you’ve blocked them, which they might notice.
If you decide to unblock a contact after you’ve blocked them, there is no notification to them that they are unblocked. However, the unblocking will mean they can then see your profile photo, last seen and any status updates you make. You won’t receive any messages the contact tried to send you while they were blocked, but you will start to receive any new ones they send as soon as you’ve unblocked them.
How to Know if Someone Has Been Blocked
Because of the way WhatsApp works, you will be able to see if you’ve been blocked by using some key indicators. You won’t, however, receive a notification.
Firstly, you won’t be able to see their ‘last seen’. So, if you go to the contact in question, the space where you can see their online status or ‘last seen’ won’t be visible. However, this isn’t definite because it is possible to alter your privacy settings not to show ‘online’ and ‘last seen,’ which could be what they’ve done. For example, you could choose to show your ‘last seen’ to nobody, your contacts, or everyone.
Another indicator is if you can’t see their profile picture and information. You won’t see statuses or stories either if you’re blocked. However, this could also mean that the person has deleted WhatsApp altogether and not just blocked you.
You can also tell whether or not you could be blocked by the checkmarks in your sent messages. If only a single gray checkmark is visible, it means your message has been sent but not delivered. This could be due to their phone being off or them having no signal, but if it’s been a while, then it’s probably because you’re blocked.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you can now block contacts in WhatsApp easily. Whichever method you choose, be aware that although the contact won’t get notified that you’ve blocked them, they could use some of the indicators we’ve discussed above to work out whether they’re blocked or not! Don’t worry, though. If you’ve decided to block someone, you’ve probably got a reason that trumps them finding out they’re blocked, which is more important.
