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What Happens When You Block Someone on WhatsApp

Quick Tips
  • When you block someone you stop all channels of communication, i.e., they can’t message, call, see online status or stories, etc.
  • WhatsApp doesn’t notify the user that they’ve been blocked.
  • To block someone on WhatsApp, tap the contact/group name from the top → scroll down, and select Block.

How To Block Someone on WhatsApp And What Happens After Blocking

What Happens When You Block Someone on WhatsApp

A series of changes occur when you block someone on WhatsApp, which affects both you and the blocked person.

When You Block Someone on WhatsApp What Do They See

While we’re going to break down each one in detail, here’s a brief version.

ActionCan a blocked personCan you
Exchange MessagesNoNo
Call each otherNoNo
Participate in a common groupYesYes
Check Last SeenNoNo
View Online StatusNoNo
See Status updateNoYes
Receive Read receiptNoNo
View Profile picture changesNoYes
View StoriesNoNo

If You Block Someone on Whatsapp Will They Know

No, whether you report someone on WhatsApp or block them, the platform does not notify them. However, the blocked person can find out if they are blocked on WhatsApp by observing that they can no longer call, message, or see your updates.

The same goes for unlocking someone. So, if you block and then unblock someone on WhatsApp, the user will not be notified of either action.

Can a Blocked Contact Message or Call Me

No. However, the blocked person can send you a message and give you a call. The messages won’t be delivered and the call won’t ring at your end. This is done to not make it apparent that one has been blocked.

Moreover, any messages sent to you will always show one check mark (message sent) and never show a second check mark (message delivered). In a nutshell, the blocked contact can message or call you, but it won’t be delivered to your device and you’ll not receive any notification about it.

Can You Message Someone You’ve Blocked on WhatsApp

No. While you can see the keyboard and type in the message, you can’t send it. WhatsApp will ask you to unblock the contact/number before you can send them a message.

Can You Message Someone Youve Blocked on Whatsapp

If You Block Someone on WhatsApp Can They See Old Messages

Blocking someone on WhatsApp does not delete messages or existing media. Both you and the blocked person can view the old messages. Moreover, blocking someone does not affect the media files shared and saved on your phone, unless they are deleted manually.

You can still see previous conversations

Although if you block and report someone, WhatsApp will delete all existing chats.

If I Block Someone on WhatsApp Can I See Their Online Status, Last Seen, or Profile Picture

No, when you block someone, they cannot see when you are online. The status area under your name in the chat thread will appear blank. Furthermore, blocking someone scraps off the ability to view the last seen too.

Difference between unblocked and blocked WhatsApp chats

Both you and the blocked contact will not be able to see each other’s last seen. That works irrespective of the fact whether you have hidden the last seen from your contacts or not.

The same goes for Profile Picture, a blocked contact won’t be able to see your profile picture, instead, they will see the default WhatsApp profile picture. However, you will still be able to see the blocked person’s current and future profile picture updates unless they also block you.

If I Block Someone Can I See Their Whatsapp Status

While WhatsApp offers privacy settings separately for status aka stories, blocking someone will hide your stories from them and their stories from your list.

Do You See a Blocked Contact Message in Groups

Interestingly, your conversations in WhatsApp group chats remain unaffected when you block one of the group members. Meaning, you both can see messages from each other in your common groups. However, you may not receive notifications when they send messages or share media.

Does Blocking Someone Remove Them From the Contact List

No, blocking someone on WhatsApp does not remove them from your contact list. If you wish to delete a blocked contact from your list, you need to manually remove their number from your device’s contacts.

What Happens When You Block a Group

Blocking a group works in similar ways to blocking a contact. It prevents you from receiving messages, calls, and notifications from that group. Although, the group members won’t be notified that you’ve blocked the group.

What Happens When You Unblock Someone

When you unblock someone on WhatsApp, the previous changes are reversed. However, the messages sent during the time they were blocked will not be delivered retroactively. You will only see new messages.

Blocking vs. Removing vs. Muting vs. Archive

In the realm of WhatsApp, users have several options to manage their interactions and control the flow of messages and notifications. You can either block, remove, or mute the chats.

  • Blocking a contact is a stringent measure that restricts all forms of communication between you and the blocked contact.
  • Removing a contact from your device doesn’t stop or disrupt the WhatsApp communication link. Though depending on your privacy settings, they may not see your profile photo, status, and stories.
  • Muting a contact or group on WhatsApp allows you to temporarily silence notifications from them without cutting off communication entirely.
  • Archiving is another interesting method to stop or avoid communication without blocking. Archived chats are hidden from view and muted until unarchived.

How to Block Someone on WhatsApp

Before we dig deep into what happens after you block someone, let’s first learn how to block someone on WhatsApp.

Simply open WhatsAppchat → tap the contact’s name/number from the top of the chat window → scroll down and select Block.

How to Block Someone on WhatsApp 1

Now, there is a slight difference between blocking a regular and a business account on WhatsApp. For a non-business user, simply tap Block. To block a business account on WhatsApp, select an appropriate reason and then tap Block.

Tap Block, select a reason and then Block

If you want to block a group, repeat the same steps. Tap the group’s name from the top → scroll down and select Block group name.

Note: Not just people in your contacts, you can also block unknown numbers on WhatsApp to avoid scams and spamming.

How to View a Blocked List on WhatsApp and Unblock a Contact

To check out all the Blocked contacts on WhatsApp,

  • On iPhone, go to SettingsPrivacyBlocked contacts.
  • On an Android phone, tap the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of WhatsApp. Navigate to Settings Account PrivacyBlocked contacts.
Tap Settings → Privacy and then Blocked contact

Here, if you wish to unblock a contact or a number, select the contact → scroll, and tap Unblock contact.

Unblock WhatsApp Contact

Note: You can also block on WhatsApp from here, scroll down the list → tap Add New, and select the contact.

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Last updated on 22 August, 2024

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