WhatsApp status allows users to share text, photos, videos and GIFs that disappear after 24 hours. When someone views your status or story, WhatsApp shows it was seen by that person. This often leads to the question – can you delete the WhatsApp status or stories of others after viewing them?
The simple answer is no, you cannot delete someone else’s WhatsApp status or stories once you have viewed them. Only the person who posted the status can delete their own status.
When you view someone’s status on WhatsApp, it registers as seen on their end. Even if you delete the WhatsApp chat history or media on your device, it does not delete the status content from WhatsApp servers or the poster’s device.
However, there are a few things you can do if you want to remove someone’s status from appearing on your WhatsApp:
Mute Status Updates
If you no longer wish to view a contact’s status updates, you can mute their status. This prevents their status from automatically appearing in your feed. To mute status:
- Open the WhatsApp contact whose status you want to mute
- Tap More Options (3 dots) > Mute > Mute Status
You can unmute whenever you want to see their status updates again.
Block Contact
Blocking a contact on WhatsApp prevents you from viewing their profile photo, status and any updates. You will no longer see their status at all if you block them. To block a contact:
- Open the chat screen of the contact
- Tap More options > More > Block
Note that blocking also prevents that contact from viewing your status updates or sending you messages. Blocking is irreversible, you will have to unblock the contact to interact with them again.
Delete Chat History
While this does not delete their status itself, clearing chat history removes the preview of their status from your chat screen. To delete chat history:
- Open the individual or group chat
- Tap More options > Clear chat history
This makes their status disappear from your chat screen. However, their current and future status updates will continue to appear in your Status tab.
Disable Read Receipts
Disabling read receipts prevents the poster from knowing if and when you viewed their status. To disable read receipts:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings
- Tap Account > Privacy > Read Receipts
- Toggle off Show Read Receipts
This way they won’t know if you’ve seen their status or not.
Why You Cannot Delete Someone Else’s Status
While the above options can remove a person’s status from your view, deleting or removing the actual status they posted is not possible. There are a few reasons behind this:
Status is Stored on WhatsApp Servers
When a WhatsApp user posts a status, it is uploaded to WhatsApp servers and stored there for 24 hours. Even after it disappears from your view, it stays on WhatsApp servers during that timeframe.
Other users may not have seen that status yet. Deleting it before the 24 hours would remove it for everyone. Only the original poster has privileges to remove it from WhatsApp servers before the timeout.
Prevent Misuse
If any user could delete others’ statuses, it could be misused to censor information or remove statuses a particular user does not want others to see. This goes against WhatsApp’s policy to give users full control over their own content.
Status is End-to-End Encrypted
WhatsApp statuses are protected by end-to-end encryption. This means the content is inaccessible to anyone except the sender and recipient. Not even WhatsApp can access statuses.
So no one can tamper with or delete someone else’s encrypted status without having access to their device and WhatsApp account.
If Someone Posts Offensive Status
While you cannot delete another person’s status, you can report offensive or abusive status updates to WhatsApp.
- Open the contact’s chat
- Tap More Options > Report
- Select the reason for reporting the user
WhatsApp moderators review reports and take appropriate action if the status violates guidelines. The options include warning the user or banning their account.
You can also block the user to avoid seeing their status. And if it’s really offensive, consider escalating to your local authorities.
Status Privacy Concerns
Since anyone in your WhatsApp contact list can view your status by default, you may want to restrict status visibility to avoid unintended audiences.
Customize Status Privacy
You can choose who can view status updates from your profile:
- Everyone
- My Contacts
- My Contacts Except…
- Only Share With…
To change status privacy:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy
- Tap Status > Choose who can see my status
- Select your preferred audience
Status Viewers
You can also see exactly who has viewed your status updates. To check status viewers:
- Go to your profile on WhatsApp
- Tap Status > More
- View the list of status viewers
This allows you to identify any unwanted viewers and adjust your status sharing accordingly.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp does not allow deleting other people’s statuses, you do have options like muting, blocking, reporting and limiting visibility to avoid viewing their updates. No one can remove statuses posted to your profile except you. Overall, status privacy controls provide protection and peace of mind on the platform.