If you suspect someone has blocked you on WhatsApp, there are a few signs you can look out for to confirm if you have been blocked from viewing their status updates. The main way to check is by tapping on the contact’s profile picture in your chats list. If the “View Status Update” option is missing, that likely means you have been blocked.
Check if “View Status Update” is missing
The easiest way to know if you have been blocked from viewing someone’s status is to go to your WhatsApp chats list and tap on their profile picture or name. This will open up their contact info screen. On this screen, you would normally see options like “View Contact”, “Media, Links and Docs”, “Mute Notifications”, and “View Status Updates”.
If the “View Status Updates” option is missing, that is a strong indicator that the person has blocked you from seeing their status. WhatsApp does not explicitly notify users when they have been blocked, so this is the main visual cue to look out for.
Their last seen time disappears
In addition to the missing status view option, another sign of being blocked is that the last seen time of the contact disappears from their profile screen. Normally, you can see the last time a contact was active on WhatsApp under their profile photo. But if you are blocked, their last seen time will not be visible to you anymore.
However, do note that a missing last seen time by itself does not definitively mean you are blocked, as the user may have merely disabled last seen timestamp visibility for all contacts. But when combined with a missing “View Status Update” option, it is a clearer indicator of having been blocked.
Your messages remain undelivered
This is another strong signal that a WhatsApp user has blocked you – when all the messages you send to them remain marked with a single tick, meaning they have not been delivered. If your messages are perpetually stuck on “Sent” and never get the second tick to show “Delivered”, it likely means you can no longer contact that person.
However, undelivered messages could also mean the contact has bad internet connection. But if the messages continually remain undelivered over an extended period of time, the likelihood is that you have been blocked and can no longer message them on WhatsApp.
You are missing from their contacts list
If you and the contact have mutual friends on WhatsApp, you can try checking their contacts list to see if your name appears there or not. Open a chat with the mutual friend, tap on the 3 dots menu > View Contact > Share Contact, and see if your number appears in the list of shareable contacts.
If you are missing from that list, it indicates the person you suspect blocked you has also deleted you from their phone’s contacts. This prevents you from messaging them on WhatsApp at all. However, this method only works if you have a mutual WhatsApp contact with that person.
Your group invites get automatically declined
When you get blocked by someone on WhatsApp, any new group chat invites you send to that person will get automatically rejected. If you try adding the blocked contact to a group, you will see a message pop up saying “Couldn’t add this contact”.
This happens because blocked contacts automatically get removed from any groups that you add them to. So if your group add requests repeatedly fail for a specific person, that likely indicates they have blocked you.
Your account gets deleted from their phone
In some cases, blocking someone on WhatsApp involves entirely deleting their account from your phone. If you have been deleted by another user, opening your chat window with them will show a message saying “This contact is not saved in your phone”.
This is an extreme step of blocking where all chat history with you gets erased. If you come across this message when trying to chat someone, it is a clear sign they have blocked you by deleting your account from their WhatsApp.
You get blocked immediately after sending messages
If you had been freely messaging someone on WhatsApp until now, and suddenly their account gets deleted after you send them a particular message, that likely indicates they took the step of instantly blocking you on seeing that message.
This typically happens when you send something offensive or inappropriate, causing the recipient to instantly block and delete you from their contacts. The chat disappears as soon as they block you on their end after seeing your objectionable message.
WhatsApp calls get rejected automatically
If your WhatsApp calls to a specific contact keep getting rejected or instantly disconnected, this could be because you can no longer contact them after being blocked. When a blocked contact tries calling you, WhatsApp will not even let the call go through.
However, call connectivity issues could also be the reason. But consistent call rejections and instant call drops when trying to phone a particular person are signs of being blocked from contacting them over WhatsApp call.
Your messages are marked as spam by the contact
When a WhatsApp user marks your chat as spam and blocks you, trying to send a message will show an alert saying “Messages to this contact are being filtered to the Spam folder”. This indicates the contact has flagged your account for spamming.
If you repeatedly get this spam notification when messaging someone specifically, it means that contact has marked your messages as spam and blocked any further texts from your number on their WhatsApp account after reporting you for spam.
How to confirm if you’re blocked?
While the above signs indicate you may have been blocked by a WhatsApp contact, there is no definitive way within WhatsApp itself to absolutely confirm if you have been blocked. This is because WhatsApp does not explicitly notify users of getting blocked.
To get a final confirmation, you would have to ask the contact directly from a different phone number if they have blocked you or not. Some other ways to get confirmation are:
- Ask a mutual friend to check if they can still view the contact’s status updates and last seen time, which you can’t see anymore.
- Try calling the contact from a different phone number to see if the call goes through.
- Send a message from a different number to see if it gets delivered, while your messages remain undelivered.
Essentially, the only way to conclusively confirm if you have been blocked is by checking your access to the contact’s account using a different phone number that hasn’t been potentially blocked.
Why would someone block you on WhatsApp?
There are several reasons why someone may have chosen to block you on WhatsApp, such as:
- You sent them too many messages or calls, coming across as spam.
- You said something rude or inappropriate that offended them.
- They find you annoying and want to avoid contact with you.
- They have moved on from the relationship and want to cut off contact.
- They are in a committed relationship and want to avoid potential flirting.
- They have changed their phone number and don’t want you to have the new one.
- They wish to avoid someone who brings back unpleasant memories.
- You had an argument or major disagreement leading to fallout.
There could be many personal reasons that motivated someone to block you on WhatsApp. If you are unsure why you were blocked, it is best to directly ask the person or a mutual contact to get clarity.
What happens when you block someone on WhatsApp?
Blocking another user on WhatsApp prevents them from:
- Viewing your last seen, online, profile picture, and status updates
- Sending you any new messages
- Calling you over WhatsApp
- Adding you to groups
- Seeing if messages they sent you were delivered and read
Essentially, blocking cuts off all communication from that person to your account. Any messages they send will remain stuck on “Sent” and never get delivered to you.
You can continue to message a contact you’ve blocked, but all your texts will be automatically deleted on their end and will not be delivered. Blocking only restricts communication one way.
Should you unblock someone on WhatsApp?
If you blocked someone temporarily during a fight or argument, it may be worth unblocking them later when things settle down to re-establish communication. But if you blocked them for valid reasons like harassment, it may be better to keep them blocked.
Things to consider before unblocking someone on WhatsApp:
- Have they learned and apologized for their inappropriate behavior that made you block them?
- Do you see signs that they have changed for the better?
- Is there a need to reconnect with them even if solely for closure?
- Will unblocking them open you up to repeat harassment or abuse?
- Are you in a better position to set boundaries if they repeat their actions?
If you are confident the person will be more respectful of your boundaries if you open communication channels again, it may be worthwhile to unblock them. But proceed with caution and be prepared to block again if needed.
How to unblock someone on WhatsApp
If you wish to unblock a contact you had previously blocked on WhatsApp, follow these simple steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to your chat list.
- Tap the 3 dots menu in the top-right and choose Settings.
- Go to Account > Privacy > Blocked contacts.
- Tap on the X icon next to the contact you wish to unblock.
- Confirm unblocking the contact when prompted.
Once unblocked, that WhatsApp user will be able to contact you normally again and view your last seen, profile photo, status, etc. Unblocking restores normal WhatsApp capabilities between both parties.
Conclusion
Being blocked by a contact on WhatsApp cuts off your ability to interact with them, see their updates, and contact them. While you won’t get an explicit notification, there are various signs you can look out for to deduce if someone has blocked you, like missing status updates or perpetual undelivered messages.
If you find yourself blocked, it is usually for a valid reason by the other person. It is best not to pursue the matter aggressively. If you believe it was a mistake or temporary fallout, politely inquire with the contact or a mutual friend after some time has passed to clear any misunderstanding. Handle the situation maturely, and move on if you remain blocked.