WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform around the world. Billions of messages are exchanged every single day. However, at the same time, WhatsApp is also the platform with the most spam reports. If you have someone's number, you can message them on WhatsApp. Fortunately, WhatsApp allows you to block unknown or spammy contacts so that you can protect yourself from receiving their messages.
However, being world-popular, WhatsApp doesn't allow you to directly know that you are blocked by that person. You have to rely on the other ways to check whether you have been blocked on WhatsApp or not. However, most guides are text-based. We tried a different approach and built an interactive way to know whether you have been blocked on WhatsApp or not.
Simply put, you can see all the signs in the live preview to decide whether you have been blocked or not.
None of these signals alone is definitive, but when several appear together, the pattern is clear. Use the interactive previews below to see exactly how each sign looks in the app.
When someone blocks you, their profile picture disappears from your view. Instead of seeing their photo, you will only see the default grey silhouette. Watch the animation below to see how the profile picture vanishes.
Normally, you can see if the person is "online" or when they were "last seen" right under their name. If they block you, this status information will completely disappear from your screen.
When you send a message, it normally goes from one gray tick (sent), to two gray ticks (delivered), and then blue ticks (read). If you're blocked, your messages will permanently stay on a single gray tick.
If you try to call someone who has blocked you, the call will never go through. Instead of transitioning to "Ringing...", your screen will be permanently stuck on "Calling...".
When viewing the Updates tab, you will no longer see any new status stories posted by the person who blocked you. If they were sharing stories, those updates will vanish.
A definitive test is trying to add the person to a new WhatsApp group. If they have blocked you, WhatsApp will immediately reject the action with an error.
The "About" section of their profile (e.g., "At the gym! 💪") will revert to the default "Hey there! I am using WhatsApp.", or whatever their status was at the moment they blocked you.
WhatsApp never explicitly tells you if you've been blocked.
You can use these signals to make an educated guess.
Share your thoughts, questions, or feedback about this guide.