One of the most widely used messaging applications worldwide is WhatsApp. You can send messages and have group chats via Wi-Fi with your friends and connections all over the globe. WhatsApp uses your wireless internet connection instead of using your mobile data.
So wherever you go, if a Wi-Fi connection is available, you can continue using WhatsApp to stay in touch and text everyone. It’s super handy for people who want the capabilities of an instant messenger without all of the extra frills. It looks and acts as closely to normal SMS as possible but gives you the freedom of messaging over Wi-Fi.
Some people may find that they’ve tried messaging one of their contacts, only to find that they aren’t responding anymore. There are a few possibilities as to why someone on WhatsApp isn’t responding; they could be busy, have deleted the app, or deleted their WhatsApp account altogether. It’s also possible, however, that you may have been blocked.
Some indicators will let you know if someone has blocked you through the WhatsApp application. In this article, we’ll go through all of the different possibilities to see if that’s what has happened to you.
How WhatsApp Blocking Works
Users who no longer wish to interact with other contacts can block those individuals within the Settings of the application.
- By opening the app and clicking on the menu (3 vertical dots) on the right-hand side of the app, tap on Settings.
- From there, scroll down to Account and tap on Privacy.
- Within the Privacy settings menu, you can click on Blocked Contact.
- Looking at the top right-hand side of this, you’ll see a person icon with a plus sign next to it. When you’ve tapped on this, you can add anyone from your list of contacts.
We have a tutorial: How to Block Someone on WhatsApp if you’d like to check it out!
If a user has been blocked, they will no longer see a culmination of changes that are consistent with being blocked.
How to Know if You’ve Been Blocked on WhatsApp
Although WhatsApp won’t notify you if you’ve been blocked, there are a few indicators that this is the case. Aside from understanding some discord during your last conversation, other app features will be slightly different when someone chooses to no longer communicate with you on the app.
‘Last Seen’ is Missing
There are several indicators that someone has blocked you on WhatsApp. If you look at the contact and it doesn’t show their “last seen” or “online status” information, they may have blocked you.
This can also be a factor if you or the person in question has updated their privacy settings. Clicking on your own Last Seen privacy settings may affect what you are able to see.
If you’ve checked your privacy settings and they are viewable by others, and the last time you spoke to said contact, theirs were visible, the odds are pretty good that you’ve now become blocked.
No Profile Updates
Another indicator that your WhatsApp contact has blocked you is their profile picture and information are no longer available. You will no longer see their online status or stories using the application either.
These indicators mean that either you’ve been blocked or the user has deleted their WhatsApp account. If you think it may be the latter, you can always have a friend search for the account using their WhatsApp account. If the profile comes up, then you’ve been blocked.
It’s also important to mention that some users do not take the time to update their profile pictures, nor do they update their activities. If the profile is visible, you can send a message. Depending on the checkmark you see once sent will give you an idea if you can communicate with them.
Checkmarks and Their Meanings
Have you been sending a person messages and only noticed one checkmark beside it? That means your message has been sent but not received and read by the recipient. Here’s what all checkmark icons tell you.
- One grayed check mark means your message has gone through the sending process but hasn’t been delivered yet.
- Two grayed checkmarks mean your message was sent and delivered to your contact.
- Two blue checkmarks mean that the message has been sent, received, and viewed.
If you’re noticing only one gray checkmark next to messages you’ve sent, then it’s a good chance you are on the recipient’s block list. This means that your message is being sent to that person, but for some reason, it’s not being delivered to their phone.
This can happen because of poor Wi-Fi or cellular data signal, so it’s best to give it some time and see if the checkmark changes.
Are You There?
Another feature offered by WhatsApp is the ability to make phone calls. It works just like regular phone calls, except that it uses Wi-Fi instead of cellular reception. Like the rest of the app, making phone calls on WhatsApp is completely free.
This means that if you call one of your contacts, it should ring and be answered the same way that any phone call is. If you are blocked, however, the phone will ring briefly before automatically disconnecting. This is similar to when you call someone whose phone is off, and you get sent directly to voicemail.
If you’ve tried calling a contact on WhatsApp multiple times at different points in the day or week, this is another good indicator that you have been blocked by this person. For extra assuredness, try calling another one of your WhatsApp contacts.
Adding the Contact to a Group
WhatsApp will let you create groups with your contacts. If you choose to create a group and attempt to add a contact that gives you an error, it’s the best indicator that you have been blocked.
When someone has blocked you, a message stating Can’t Add Participant or Failed to Add will appear and prevent you from chatting with this person. If you see this message, it means you aren’t able to communicate with this contact anymore. That can be attributed to: They’ve blocked you, or they’ve deleted their account.
If you are not seeing the contact’s information or online status, and you can’t add them to a group message, you’ve probably been blocked. The best way to be sure they haven’t deleted their account is to have another user search for their contact.
People Blocking You on WhatsApp
Given how many people use WhatsApp, it can be hard to tell if you’ve been blocked by someone. As you can see, there are many indicators to let you know that you’ve been blocked by a user on WhatsApp. You just need to know what they are.
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