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 block contacts, preventing them from messaging you or seeing your profile photo and online status. But how exactly does blocking work on WhatsApp? Does blocking someone on WhatsApp completely prevent them from messaging you?
What happens when you block someone on WhatsApp?
When you block a contact on WhatsApp, it does the following:
- Prevents the blocked contact from calling you or sending you messages on WhatsApp
- Removes the contact’s profile photo and “last seen” status from your view
- Deletes the entire chat history between you and the blocked contact
- Prevents the blocked contact from adding you to WhatsApp groups
- Stops updates about the contact’s status from reaching you
So in essence, blocking someone on WhatsApp is meant to completely remove that contact from your WhatsApp world. You no longer see anything about them or receive anything from them.
Can a blocked contact still send you messages?
Yes, while you won’t see messages from a blocked contact, they can still send messages that will not get delivered to you.
When a blocked contact sends you a message, they will see one check mark indicating the message was sent, but will never see the second check mark that indicates the message was delivered. The message remains pending on their end forever, but never actually reaches your device.
So in this sense, blocking does not completely prevent a determined contact from attempting to reach out, but it ensures you never have to deal with actually receiving their messages.
What happens if a blocked contact tries to call you?
Similar to messages, a blocked caller can still attempt to call you, but the call will never go through or ring on your end.
The blocked caller will see the call connecting on their end, but after a few rings it will fail to connect. You will have no indications on your device that the call was even attempted.
Again, this does not stop them from trying to call, but fully prevents the call from disturbing you. The call history will also show no signs of a call occurring on your end.
Can a blocked contact see if you’re online?
No, one of the main benefits of blocking someone on WhatsApp is that it completely hides your online presence from them.
A blocked contact cannot see:
- Your profile photo
- Your status updates
- When you were last online
- When you are currently online
Your entire account is essentially invisible to that person. They have no way to see if you’re actively using WhatsApp or not.
What about groups with a blocked contact?
If you and a blocked contact are both members of the same WhatsApp group, things function a bit differently.
Since you can’t fully block someone from a group chat, the blocked contact’s messages will still be visible in the group. However, your replies to those messages will not be seen by the blocked contact.
Essentially, you can see their messages in the group, but they won’t see any of your group participation. All of your messages will be invisible to them.
You also won’t be notified if a blocked contact joins a group you’re both in. The only way to fully avoid contact is to leave any shared groups.
Can a blocked contact unblock themselves?
No, a blocked contact cannot unblock themselves. The block settings can only be changed by the person who initiated the block.
If you block someone, they have no control over that block and cannot reverse it on their own. Only you can choose to unblock them.
This prevents a blocked person from harassing you by repeatedly unblocking themselves. The block will persist until you decide to lift it.
Does blocking notify the other person?
No, when you block someone on WhatsApp, they receive no notification or indication that they have been blocked.
Your conversation and contact listing will simply disappear from their app without explanation. They will only know they’ve been blocked if they try to interact with you and see your account is unavailable.
This allows you to silently block contacts without them knowing and potentially trying to circumvent it. The block happens discreetly behind the scenes.
Can a blocked person tell they’ve been blocked?
While blocks happen quietly, there are some signs a blocked contact can look for to realize they’ve been blocked:
- Your profile photo and status disappear
- Messages remain marked as “sent” but never show “delivered”
- Calls continuously ring but never go through
- New messages can be composed but are never delivered
- The contact listing disappears from their app
So while not directly notified, a persistent contact will eventually realize the block based on messaging and call failures.
What happens when you unblock a contact?
If you later decide to unblock a contact, here’s what happens:
- Your profile, status and online presence become visible to them again
- Any messages they sent while blocked will now be delivered
- They will be able to call and message you normally again
- The chat history from before the block will become visible again
- They will be added back to your contacts list
Essentially the contact is fully restored as if they were never blocked in the first place. All previous restrictions around messaging, calls and your account visibility are removed.
Can you tell if you’re blocked by someone?
Unfortunately, unlike when you block someone, when someone blocks you on WhatsApp there is no definite way to know. Some signs include:
- The contact’s profile photo and status is no longer visible
- Your messages continually show “sent” but never show “delivered”
- Your calls go unanswered but never show as “rejected”
- You’re removed from any shared groups with the contact
While these can indicate a block, they aren’t foolproof. The only way to know for sure is to ask the contact directly from another phone number if they have blocked you.
Conclusion
Blocking on WhatsApp is designed to completely remove the user from your messaging experience. While not a perfect system, it prevents any messages, calls, statuses or profile data from reaching you.
Persistent blocked contacts can still attempt to interact through messages and calls, but you will never see these. The only place you may still encounter them is in shared WhatsApp groups.
The block happens silently without notifying the other user. But noticeable messaging and call failures will eventually make them aware of the block.
Ultimately, blocking provides effective control over who can interact with you on WhatsApp. But occasionally some unwanted snippets may still creep in through group chats. Leaving those groups is the only way to fully eliminate contact.
| What happens when you block someone? | What happens when a blocked contact tries to interact? |
|---|---|
|
|
Key Takeaways
- Blocking prevents direct messages and calls but doesn’t stop attempts
- You won’t see messages or calls from a blocked contact
- Blocked contacts can eventually figure out they are blocked
- Shared groups are the one place contacts may still interact
- You can’t directly tell if you have been blocked by someone