Are you wondering if you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp? While the app takes care to protect user privacy, there are ways to figure out if somebody has blocked you.
In this article, we’ll be guiding you on the steps you can take to figure it out. There are a handful of ways to test this, with a few caveats in between that could provide you with an explanation other than blocking. Ready to find out?
What Does Being Blocked Mean?
Being blocked means that all of the communication sent between these two users is stopped. This halts notifications, messages, calls, and status updates between two contacts. It’s easy to block someone on WhatsApp, and unblocking them is just as easy, requiring just one tap.
WhatsApp also attempts to protect the user who blocked another by making the act discreet so that it may go undetected. If you suspect you’ve been blocked, these are the ways you can try to confirm it.
Note that it’s best to try a few of these, as a network error could be the cause of these issues in some cases.
1. Can You Tell That the Person Is Online?
While many people remove their “last seen” status, you can tell when a contact is online when you open their chat.
You’d have to keep the chat open to see if they come online or check multiple times. If you don’t see them online, you’ve likely been blocked.
Caveat: The reason for someone’s inactivity on WhatsApp could be because the person is no longer using the app, or they’ve been staying offline for another reason.
2. Have They Updated Their Display Picture?
When you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp, the person’s current display picture will remain the same, even if they change it in the future. Therefore, if someone’s profile photo never changes, you may have been blocked.
Caveat: Sometimes, people remove their photo or do not update it. The best way to check this is to see if the person’s profile picture is the same using someone else’s account so you can compare. This may need to be a mutual contact, as WhatsApp allows users to hide their profile picture from those who aren’t on their contact list.
3. Do Your Messages Get Delivered?
When a contact has blocked you, your message will remain with one gray tick indefinitely, meaning it will not be delivered to them.
Caveat: Other reasons for a message not being delivered is if the person is having network issues.
4. Can You Call Them?
Phone calls on WhatsApp cannot be made to blocked contacts, though you will hear the ringing as if the call is going through. If you try calling the person and it goes unanswered, you may have been blocked. Someone who has blocked you via WhatsApp may have also blocked your phone number.
Caveat: The person may be unable to answer your call, but you won’t be able to tell if they actually received your phone call or not.
5. Can You Create a Group With the Contact in Question?
When you create a group and add a contact who has blocked you, you’ll get a message saying that you’re not authorized to add them.
There are no caveats here. This is known to be the best way to tell if you’ve been blocked. The trouble is, creating a random group isn’t ideal for most people who want to check if a contact blocked them.
Being Blocked on WhatsApp
While the above steps should help you determine whether someone has blocked you, there’s no guarantee. This, as laid out on the WhatsApp Help Center, is by design, with WhatsApp saying:
We have made this intentionally ambiguous in order to protect your privacy when you block someone. Thus, we cannot tell you if you are being blocked by someone else.
It’s important to remember that if you have, in fact, been blocked, there may be a perfectly good reason for this. So be sure to respect the privacy and wishes of the contact that has blocked you on WhatsApp.