WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the key features of WhatsApp is the ability to see when a message has been delivered and read by the recipient through read receipts. However, what happens to these read receipts when you block someone on WhatsApp? Let’s take a look.
What are WhatsApp read receipts?
WhatsApp’s read receipts allow you to see when a message you sent has been delivered and read. When you send a message on WhatsApp, under the message it will initially say “Sent”. Once it has been successfully delivered to the recipient’s device, this will change to “Delivered”. And finally, when the recipient opens the WhatsApp chat, the message will show “Read”.
Read receipts give you confirmation that your message has been seen by the intended recipient. It also allows you to see when they last opened your chat if you have sent multiple messages.
What happens when you block someone on WhatsApp?
Blocking someone on WhatsApp prevents them from being able to contact you further on the platform. When you block a contact:
- They can no longer send you messages or call you on WhatsApp
- Your profile photo and “Last seen” status will no longer be visible to them
- Any messages sent by the blocked contact will not show up for you
- You will not receive any notifications from a blocked contact
Blocking provides a way to restrict unwanted communication from a particular contact. It severs ties on WhatsApp specifically while still allowing phone or email communication if needed.
Do you get read receipts from blocked contacts?
When you block someone on WhatsApp, you will stop receiving any read receipts or delivery confirmations from that contact. This means once blocked, you will no longer be able to see:
- “Delivered” or “Read” confirmation for messages you sent before blocking
- Any indication of whether messages you already sent have been read
- The “typing…” notification if they are typing a message to you
Essentially, the communication channel is cut off in both directions. You will not get any more feedback or notifications regarding your messages to a blocked contact.
Why read receipts are stopped after blocking
There are a couple of reasons why read receipts are stopped when you block someone on WhatsApp:
- Privacy – By blocking the contact, you have withdrawn their access to information about whether you have read their messages. WhatsApp protects your privacy when you no longer want to interact with someone.
- Prevent communication – Read receipts could be used by the other party to see if you are still reading their messages. Removing this allows you to fully prevent any further communication.
- Technical limitations – The block cuts off the messaging channel between you and the contact, which prevents message delivery receipts from being sent.
So in summary, blocking someone stops any further messaging exchange, including the automated recipets that show message status. This allows for a clean break in communication.
Examples of blocking and read receipts
Here are some examples to illustrate how read receipts are impacted when you block a contact:
- Messages sent before blocking – Any messages you sent prior to blocking will stay in their “Sent” or “Delivered” state perpetually. You will not see them change to “Read”.
- Messages received before blocking – For the last messages received from the contact before you blocked them, it will remain with whatever read receipt it had last. For example, if it was on “Delivered” it will stay “Delivered”.
- New messages after blocking – If the blocked contact sends you a new message, you will not receive any notification of this message. You will not see the message in your chat history.
So previously sent messages remain fixed in their status, while any new incoming communication is completely blocked off.
Can the blocked contact see your read receipts?
No, when you block someone on WhatsApp, they are no longer able to see any read receipts or typing notifications from you. The sending and receiving of message delivery reports is stopped in both directions once one person blocks the other.
So you can be assured that even if you open a chat with a blocked contact and read previous unread messages, they will not know you have done so because read receipts are not conveyed after blocking.
Getting read receipts after unblocking
If you later decide to unblock a WhatsApp contact, read receipts will resume as normal. When you unblock someone, you restore communication on WhatsApp. At this point:
- They can message and call you again
- You will once again see “Delivered” and “Read” for new messages
- They will see your read receipts and online status
Unblocking essentially reverts back to the default WhatsApp communication settings. So you will get read receipts after unblocking, since the block is lifted.
How to tell if someone has blocked you
If you are wondering whether someone has blocked you on WhatsApp, there are a few signs to look out for:
- Your messages will always show “Sent” and never change to “Delivered”
- You cannot see their profile photo or status updates
- Any calls you make are not going through
- You do not see them listed as “Online” even when actively using WhatsApp
If you try the steps above and cannot get any indicators that your messages or calls are going through, it is likely you have been blocked. Without asking the contact directly there is no definitive way to confirm, but the above signs indicate they have probably blocked you.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Blocking on WhatsApp stops all communication in both directions
- Once blocked, you will no longer receive any read receipts or delivery confirmations
- Previously sent messages remain fixed in their “Sent” or “Delivered” state
- The blocked contact will not know if you read messages you previously exchanged
- Unblocking restores communication, including read receipts
So while it can be useful to have read receipts normally, they are turned off in order to facilitate a clean break when you no longer want to communicate with someone on WhatsApp.