It is possible to block contacts on WhatsApp, without letting them know. We show you how to find out if you’ve been blocked by one of your contacts.
In short: have you been blocked on WhatsApp?
These points may indicate that a block has indeed been performed:
- Your contact does not have a profile picture
- His online status is not indicated
- Profile status is not visible
- Messages are not delivered
Blocked on WhatsApp: how to know?
It’s easy to block contacts on the WhatsApp instant messaging service. However, affected users are not informed of this. Indeed, WhatsApp doesn’t send a notification when someone has blocked you. To find out if you are blocked on Whatsapp, it is up to you to deduce it using different clues.
The absence of a profile photo
This feature is particularly suspicious when a profile photo has always been displayed until now. It is one of the most visible features to know if you have been blocked, it’s often the first thing we notice. Indeed, the eye immediately detects changes and we generally get used to the profile photos of our contacts, so much so that we associate people directly with them.
The absence of a profile photo, however, is not the most obvious proof. It could simply be that the contact wanted to upload a new photo and simply deleted the old one, without choosing a new one until then.
No online status
WhatsApp doesn’t show if the contact is currently online? This can be another element to know if you are blocked on WhatsApp. Blocked contacts no longer see when another user was last online. This change is only noticed by opening the conversation with said contact.
However, this is not a reliable sign either: WhatsApp has in fact been allowing its users to make additional settings to protect their privacy for some time. It is now possible to hide your online status. It is therefore entirely possible that you have not been blocked, but that your contact has simply changed their privacy settings.
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No profile status
More subtle than the previous two characteristics, profile status is also a clue. If this is no longer displayed, the contact may have blocked you on WhatsApp. To access the profile status, simply tap on the contact name. If there is no status left, you may have been blocked.
But the reason can also be different: there is in fact the possibility of using WhatsApp without contact. This means that contacts do not need to be registered to be able to message them. But how do you know if you have been blocked on WhatsApp? This feature makes the blockage even more difficult to deduce.
Messages not delivered
The last anomaly manifests itself using the checkmarks that WhatsApp uses to indicate the delivery status of a message. A check mark certainly indicates that a message has been sent, but only the second check mark confirms that the message has been received by the recipient. Additionally, WhatsApp indicates that a message has been viewed by displaying the two checkmarks in blue. If your message is not delivered and appears with only one check mark, then you may have been blocked on WhatsApp.
However, this only applies if your contact has activated the read receipt function. This setting is also part of the measures put in place to improve the confidentiality of the messaging service. It is therefore possible here too that a contact has simply modified their settings. Keep in mind that the person may also simply have been offline for a while or has simply changed their number. (Almost) all of us have already had to change our phone after losing it, breaking it or having it stolen!
Contacts may also have been unintentionally deleted from the address book. If so, there is a simple function that allows you to recover a deleted WhatsApp contact.
Read other articles from the IONOS Digital Guide on WhatsApp and its different features:
In summary: am I blocked on WhatsApp?
There is no clear answer to this question. WhatsApp does not inform the user that they are blocked, so you must look for clues yourself and deduce whether this is the case or not. For each of the signs explained above, there is at least one other possible explanation, so none of them gives a certain indication.
To avoid finding yourself in trouble and wondering if you have been blocked, it is useful to respect the general rules of politeness and netiquette. This is all the more the case in large discussion groups where it is necessary to ensure that a constructive and respectful atmosphere reigns. Trolling and spamming (i.e. sending a multitude of messages at short intervals) on the other hand increase the probability of being blocked.
