Quick Answer
Yes, it is possible to change WhatsApp settings so that only contacts in your address book can message you. WhatsApp has a privacy setting that allows you to control who can message you directly. By default, anyone with your phone number can message you, even if they are not in your contacts. But you can change this setting to “My Contacts Only” which will prevent non-contacts from messaging you unless you add them to your address book.
Steps to Change WhatsApp Settings to Only Allow Contacts to Message You
Here are the steps to change your WhatsApp settings on an iPhone or Android device to only allow messages from contacts:
On iPhone
1. Open the WhatsApp app and tap on the Settings tab at the bottom right.
2. Tap on Account > Privacy.
3. Under Who can add me to groups, tap on Everyone or My Contacts. Selecting My Contacts will only allow your contacts to add you to groups.
4. Under Who can see my personal info, tap on Everyone or My Contacts to limit your info to contacts only.
5. Under Who can send me messages, tap on Everyone or My Contacts Only. Select My Contacts Only to only allow messages from your contacts.
On Android
1. Open WhatsApp and tap the 3 dot menu in the top right.
2. Go to Settings > Account > Privacy.
3. Tap on Who can see my personal info and select My Contacts to limit info access.
4. Tap on Who can add me to groups and select My Contacts to limit who can add you.
5. Tap on Who can send me messages and select My Contacts to only allow contacts to message you.
Advantages of Only Allowing Contacts to Message You
Here are some of the advantages of limiting your WhatsApp messages to only your contacts:
- Avoids unwanted spam messages from strangers or businesses
- Prevents unknown links or files from unknown numbers
- Increases privacy and security of your account
- Reduces disturbances from unwanted conversations
- Keeps your inbox more organized by only showing messages from people you know
Overall, it helps reduce unwanted messages and increases your control over who can communicate with you on WhatsApp if you limit messages to your contacts only. This can help streamline your WhatsApp experience.
Disadvantages of Only Allowing Contacts to Message You
However, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider with only allowing contacts to message you:
- You may miss out on messages from family, friends or colleagues if not already in contacts
- Businesses cannot provide updates like delivery notifications without being a contact first
- It can be inconvenient for someone trying to first reach out to you on WhatsApp
- Prevents any strangers from contacting you, even if it may be for an important reason
- You have to proactively add new contacts to communicate, cannot reply directly
While increased privacy is the main benefit, it can also create some communication barriers that require contacts to be added first before messaging.
How to Allow Non-Contacts to Message You
If you want to revert the settings to allow non-contacts to message you again, here is how:
On iPhone
1. Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy
2. Under Who can send me messages, choose Everyone
3. This will once again let anyone with your number message you, even non-contacts
On Android
1. Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy
2. Tap on Who can send me messages and choose Everyone
3. This will revert back to default settings and let anyone message you
By toggling this setting back to Everyone, you can lift the restriction and allow all users to message you again, even if not in your contacts.
Other WhatsApp Privacy Settings
In addition to who can message you, there are some other useful privacy settings in WhatsApp to consider:
Profile Photo Visibility
You can control who can see your profile photo under Settings > Account > Privacy > Profile Photo. Choose from Everyone, My Contacts, or None. Setting to My Contacts or None increases privacy.
About Visibility
Your About info can be limited to Contacts Only or be totally hidden under Settings > Account > Privacy > About. This provides more privacy for your personal info.
Read Receipts
You can disable read receipts under Settings > Account > Privacy to stop sending read confirmations to contacts. This increases privacy.
Location Sharing
It’s recommended to limit or disable location sharing under Settings > Account > Privacy for increased security. This prevents contacts from seeing your live location.
Block Contacts
You can always block contacts or businesses to stop receiving their messages or calls. This is an option if you don’t want to limit all non-contacts.
Conclusion
Limiting who can message you on WhatsApp to only your contacts enhances privacy and security, avoiding unwanted spam and communications from unknown parties. But it can also create some inconveniences if important contacts need to be added first.
Overall, the contact-only messaging restriction gives you greater control over your account. But toggling it back to allow all users gives more messaging flexibility at the cost of more incoming messages. It provides a useful option to increase privacy when desired, even if you later choose to open messaging back up to everyone.