Quick Answer
Yes, a blocked number can still use WhatsApp even after being blocked. Blocking someone on WhatsApp only prevents them from contacting you directly or seeing certain information about your account. The blocked person can still use WhatsApp to message and call other contacts.
What Happens When You Block Someone on WhatsApp?
When you block a contact on WhatsApp, it prevents that person from:
- Sending you messages or calling you on WhatsApp
- Seeing your last seen, online status, or profile photo
- Adding you to WhatsApp groups
However, blocking does not completely restrict the contact from using WhatsApp. They can still:
- Use WhatsApp to message and call other contacts
- Receive your messages in group chats
- See limited group chat information about you
So even though you won’t receive any messages or calls from a blocked number, they can continue using WhatsApp normally with other contacts.
Why Doesn’t Blocking Completely Ban Someone from WhatsApp?
There are a few reasons why blocking doesn’t fully remove someone’s WhatsApp access:
- WhatsApp wants to minimize disruption to groups. If blocking removed users completely, it would affect group chats they are part of.
- Blocking is meant to prevent unwanted interaction, not punish users. The goal is simply to stop communication between two people.
- Users have privacy rights. Blocking allows people to avoid harassment from specific users without completely deleting their accounts.
- It helps avoid escalating conflicts. Blocking is less confrontational than reporting a user or demanding their account be disabled.
So in summary, the limitations on blocking are partly for practical reasons and to maintain a reasonable approach to privacy and conflicts.
What Can You Do If a Blocked Contact is Bothering You?
If a blocked contact finds ways to still bother you on WhatsApp, there are a few additional steps you can take:
- Block them in group chats – While they can still see some of your messages in group chats, you can block their messages specifically in each group.
- Report their account – If they are harassing you or repeatedly trying to contact you from new numbers, you can report their account to WhatsApp.
- Change privacy settings – Adjust your privacy settings so your last seen, profile photo, status and other info is hidden from contacts you haven’t chatted with.
- Leave shared groups – If the blocked contact is using a group chat to view your activity or contact you, you can leave that group.
- Use third-party blocking apps – Some apps let you block contacts at the device level, preventing any calls or messages.
As a last resort, you may need to change your own phone number if the harassment continues. But in most cases, a combination of WhatsApp blocking and privacy settings is enough to prevent further disturbance.
Can You Tell if a Contact Has Blocked You on WhatsApp?
There are a few signs that may indicate you have been blocked by a contact on WhatsApp:
- Your messages to them will show only one check mark and never get delivered
- Any calls you place to them won’t go through
- You can’t see their profile picture or last seen status
- They seem to have disappeared from any shared groups
- Attempting to add them as a contact shows no results
However, as there could be other reasons for these issues, you can’t directly confirm whether you’ve been blocked. WhatsApp does not explicitly notify users if they have been blocked by a contact. The ambiguity helps minimize confrontations over blocking.
Can You Still See a Blocked Contact’s WhatsApp Status Updates?
No, when you block someone on WhatsApp, you will no longer be able to see any of their status updates. This includes both text and multimedia status messages.
Just like with the profile picture and last seen status, blocking prevents you from viewing the contact’s status. They can continue updating their status for their other contacts but you won’t see any changes after blocking them.
Blocking also prevents your status updates from being visible to the blocked contact. So the restriction applies both ways.
Does Blocking Delete the Chat History with a Contact?
No, blocking a contact does not automatically erase or delete the chat history you have had with that person. Your existing chats and media will still be accessible in the chat window.
Blocking only prevents any new incoming messages from the contact. Any previous conversations remain stored in your WhatsApp until you manually delete them.
If you want to delete the chat history along with blocking, you can:
- Open the chat window with the contact.
- Tap on the contact name at the top.
- Select Clear Chat History.
- Confirm deleting the messages.
This will erase all messages, photos, videos and other media exchanged with that contact. You can do this before or after blocking them.
Can a Blocked Contact Still See Your WhatsApp Business Profile and Catalog?
If you block a contact in WhatsApp, they will no longer be able to directly see your business profile information or product catalog if you have WhatsApp Business.
Business profile details like your business description, email, store addresses and websites will become invisible to blocked contacts. Your product catalog of goods and services will also be hidden from blocked numbers.
However, any information you share publicly on your business profile remains visible even to blocked contacts. For example, if you include business hours or a public email on your profile, blocking won’t hide those details. But any info only shared with your WhatsApp contacts will become inaccessible.
Is It Possible to Accidentally Block Someone on WhatsApp?
It is possible but unlikely you could accidentally block a contact on WhatsApp. To block someone:
- You need to go to their chat window or profile.
- Tap on the contact name at the top of chat.
- Select Block Contact.
- Confirm blocking in a pop-up prompt.
Since it requires multiple taps and confirmation, you probably won’t block someone by mistake. However, it could happen if:
- You hand your phone unlocked to someone else who blocks a contact as a prank.
- A child gets ahold of your phone and haphazardly taps through menus.
- Your phone screen glitches and registers phantom taps.
If you think you may have blocked someone unintentionally, simply unblock them by going to your Blocked Contacts menu, tapping Unblock and confirming.
Can You Tell Who Has Blocked You on WhatsApp Without Third-Party Apps?
There is no official way to directly tell if someone has blocked you on WhatsApp without using a third-party app. Since WhatsApp doesn’t notify users about being blocked, you need to infer it from signs like:
- Your messages aren’t being delivered
- Your calls to the person don’t go through
- You can’t see their profile picture or status
- They disappeared from shared groups
However, these signs could also mean the contact has connectivity issues, changed numbers, or removed you from groups. So there is no definitive way to confirm by only using WhatsApp.
Some third-party apps like WAMR and BlockChecker claim to be able to detect blocking. But this requires installing software with extra permissions.
The ambiguity in confirming blocking is an intentional privacy decision by WhatsApp to protect users. Unless they tell you directly, there is no surefire way to check if you’re blocked.
If Someone Blocks and Unblocks You, Will the Chat History Still be There?
Yes, if a contact blocks and then unblocks you on WhatsApp, your previous chat history with them will still be there.
Blocking does not delete or erase chat histories between you and the contact. It only prevents any new communication while blocking is active.
So if you had exchanged messages, photos, videos or other media with someone before they blocked you, all of that will still be visible in your chat window after they unblock.
The chat history will pick up from the time right before they initially blocked you. All of your existing conversations are preserved unless either person specifically deletes the chats.
Blocking and unblocking does not restore deleted chats. But otherwise, everything will remain intact in the chat history.
Can You Recover Deleted Chats After Being Unblocked on WhatsApp?
Unfortunately, if a contact deletes your WhatsApp chat history while blocking you, that content is unlikely to be recovered after unblocking.
When chats are erased in WhatsApp, the data is permanently deleted from their servers. There is no built-in way to retrieve deleted chats.
Some third-party data recovery apps claim to salvage deleted WhatsApp messages. However, this is often unreliable and limited to extracting traces of data from your phone storage, not recovering entire chat histories.
The only hope is if you had previously backed up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive or locally on your device storage. Then you could restore that older backup after being unblocked to access deleted chats from before the blocking.
But without such a backup, there is almost no way to recover erased message history after being unblocked if the other person deleted conversations before blocking.
What Happens When You Delete a Contact Who Had Blocked You on WhatsApp?
If you delete a WhatsApp contact who had previously blocked you, here is what will happen:
- You will be unblocked when deleted – Deleting a contact automatically unblocks them.
- They can message you again – Since blocking is removed, they can message and call you again.
- You can block them again – If you want, you can block them again and you’ll both be in the original blocked state.
- Chat history remains – Unless either of you deleted chats, your message history together stays intact.
- You’ll lose media – Any media exchanged with the contact will be deleted.
So in summary, deleting a blocked contact unblocks them until you block them again, but does erase any saved media exchanged with them.
Can a WhatsApp Group Admin Still See Your Messages After You Block Them?
If you block a WhatsApp group admin, they will no longer be able to see messages you post in groups where they are an admin.
Blocking prevents the blocked person from viewing anything you share across WhatsApp, including your messages in group chats.
However, note that:
- The admin can still see some of your group activity and info
- They can remove you from groups where they are an admin
- Other group members may inform the admin about your messages
So while direct communication is restricted, indirect ways around blocking still exist in group settings.
If Someone You Blocked Deletes Your Number, Will You Automatically be Unblocked?
No, if someone deletes your number after blocking you on WhatsApp, you will not be automatically unblocked.
Blocking and deleting contacts are two separate actions on WhatsApp:
- Blocking prevents further communication and hides your info from a specific person.
- Deleting a contact erases the chat history and media exchanged with them.
So if they block you first, which prevents communication, and then delete your number, it does not undo the blocking.
For you to be unblocked, they would have to specifically go to their Blocked Contacts list and unblock you manually. Deleting the contact alone doesn’t revoke blocking.
The blocking remains in effect whether they have your number saved or not.
Can You Tell if Someone Deleted Your Number After Blocking You on WhatsApp?
There is no definitive way to tell if someone has deleted your number after blocking you on WhatsApp.
These are some signs that may indicate your number was deleted:
- Your old messages in the chat window disappear
- Your contact info is gone if you are unblocked
- Any calls or messages to them fail consistently
- Your name doesn’t appear if you share groups
However, these could also happen if you are simply blocked. WhatsApp does not directly notify you if a contact deletes your number.
Some third-party apps claim to detect if a contact has deleted you. But there is no surefire way to check within WhatsApp itself.
Can You Still Receive Messages Sent Before You Blocked Someone on WhatsApp?
No, when you block someone on WhatsApp, you will not receive any new messages they sent before you blocked them.
Blocking prevents you from receiving any messages from the contact after the moment you block them. This includes both:
- Messages sent after you block them
- Any undelivered messages from before you blocked them
So even if they had sent you a message that was pending delivery when you blocked them, that message will be blocked and not received.
Your chat window will be frozen from the instant you blocked them. To receive earlier undelivered messages, you will have to unblock the contact.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Blocking on WhatsApp restricts direct communication and visibility, but doesn’t ban a user entirely.
- Blocked contacts can still use WhatsApp with others normally.
- There are privacy and practical limitations on how extensive blocking can be.
- If a blocked user harasses you further, you can take steps like reporting their account.
- It’s ambiguous whether you have been blocked, unless the user tells you directly.
- Blocking does not delete chat history, which will remain intact if the user unblocks you.
Blocking is designed to prevent unwanted interactions, not punish users. While it has some limitations, it succeeds in stopping specific contacts from disturbing you further on WhatsApp.