WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion active users worldwide. It’s easy to use and allows you to instantly connect with friends, family, coworkers, and more through one-on-one or group chats. However, one downside is that sometimes your messages may be ignored or left on read by the recipient.
There are a few telltale signs on WhatsApp that can help you figure out if someone is intentionally ignoring your messages or just hasn’t gotten around to responding yet. Here are some tips for how to know if your messages are being ignored on WhatsApp.
They’re online but not responding
One of the most obvious signs that you’re being ignored on WhatsApp is if you can see that the person has been online and actively using WhatsApp, but they haven’t bothered to respond to your messages. WhatsApp shows when a user was “last seen” in the app under their profile name. So if you see they’ve been online multiple times but haven’t responded to your messages, it’s likely they are intentionally ignoring you.
However, do keep in mind that it’s possible they opened WhatsApp to respond to other chats or check notifications without seeing your message. You’ll have to look at the overall pattern of their behavior over multiple occasions to determine if they are deliberately ignoring you or just happened to miss your text for innocent reasons.
Your messages have been “read”
WhatsApp has read receipts that let you see when a message has been read by the recipient. If you can see that your message has been read but the person still hasn’t responded, it’s very likely you’re being ignored or they are just too busy to engage in conversation with you at the moment. Again, you’ll have to look at the overall context of your interactions to judge if this is a pattern of behavior or just a one-off occurrence.
Do keep in mind read receipts are not foolproof — it’s possible to open a WhatsApp notification and read the message preview without having the “read” receipt marked as read in the app. So you can’t definitively conclude you’re being ignored based on this alone.
Your messages are only being “delivered”
Along with read receipts, WhatsApp also shows when a message has been successfully “delivered” to the recipient’s device. If you can see your message has been delivered but not read, it likely means the person has not opened WhatsApp to see your message yet.
However, if it’s been more than a few hours and the person is still online actively using WhatsApp, but your message remains stuck on “delivered”, this could be a sign you’re being ignored. Again, only repeated instances of this behavior can confirm the person is deliberately avoiding your message rather than just being tied up with something else.
They respond to others but not you
If you’re part of a WhatsApp group chat, you may notice the person actively chatting and responding to others in the group, but ignoring any messages you direct towards them specifically. This selective replying is a strong sign you’re being intentionally ignored.
However, keep in mind some people are just more active chatters than others on WhatsApp groups. Make sure there is a clear pattern of them engaging with specific people while ignoring you before concluding that their behavior is deliberate.
Your messages are only being delivered, not read
Along with read receipts, WhatsApp also shows when a message has been successfully “delivered” to the recipient’s device. If you can see your message has been delivered but not read, it likely means the person has not opened WhatsApp to see your message yet.
However, if it’s been more than a few hours and the person is still online actively using WhatsApp, but your message remains stuck on “delivered”, this could be a sign you’re being ignored. Again, only repeated instances of this behavior can confirm the person is deliberately avoiding your message rather than just being tied up with something else.
They’ve turned off read receipts for you
WhatsApp lets you turn read receipts on or off for specific contacts. So if you notice read receipts and last seen status are turned off for your contact, it could be a sign they are deliberately avoiding your messages and don’t want you to know if they’ve read your texts.
However, some people just prefer keeping read receipts disabled for privacy reasons, so you can’t assume this alone means you are being ignored. Look for read receipts disabled along with a lack of responses to get a sense if they are dodging your messages.
Your messages are marked as only “sent”
If your messages don’t have a “delivered” or “read” indication and are stuck on “sent”, it means your messages are not reaching the recipient. This could happen due to their phone being off, poor connectivity, or if you’ve been blocked.
If the messages remain stuck on “sent” for a prolonged time after the person has clearly been online on WhatsApp during that time, it’s a strong sign you have likely been blocked and they can no longer receive your messages.
You get a phone number is not registered error
If you try to send a message to a contact and get an error saying the phone number is not registered on WhatsApp, it means you’ve been blocked by that person. They have removed you from their contacts or changed their number without telling you.
This is a clear indication your messages are not reaching them and you are being directly ignored through blocking. There is no ambiguity here – you will not be able to message or contact this person on WhatsApp anymore.
You can no longer see their profile photo
In your WhatsApp contacts list, you are unable to see the profile photo of contacts who have blocked you, even if they were visible before. If you notice a previously visible profile photo has disappeared, it likely means you’ve been blocked.
However, some WhatsApp users periodically change or remove their profile photo as a matter of preference, so you need to combine this observation with the other signs listed here to conclude if you’ve been blocked or ignored.
You’re no longer in groups with them
If you’ve been blocked by someone on WhatsApp, they can also remove you from any common WhatsApp groups you might be a part of. If you suddenly find yourself kicked out of groups where that person is an admin, it’s highly likely you’ve been blocked.
Of course, there are other reasons you could be removed from groups, like violating group policies. But if this aligns with the other signs here, it’s a good confirmation you’ve been blocked and are being ignored.
You can no longer see their status updates
WhatsApp’s status feature allows people to post ephemeral photos, videos, and messages visible to their contacts. But if you’ve been blocked, you will no longer be able to view the latest status updates from that person.
So if you notice someone’s status updates mysteriously disappearing from your feed whom you could previously view, take it as a likely sign that you can no longer contact them on WhatsApp.
You can no longer view their profile details
When blocked on WhatsApp, you will no longer be able to see someone’s profile details, like their About info, current profile photo, Read receipts setting, and any changes they make to their name or number.
If someone who was previously visible in your contacts list disappears or you can’t view any profile info for them anymore, this is a clear signal they have blocked you and don’t want you contacting them.
Their last seen shows only “a long time ago”
Normally on WhatsApp you can see a contact’s last seen timestamp showing when they were last online. But when you are blocked, rather than a timestamp you will only see “a long time ago” or “last seen recently” if they came online after blocking you.
If you had previously been able to see someone’s last seen but now it shows only the ambiguous “a long time ago” text, it likely indicates they have blocked you from seeing their online status or timestamp.
How to confirm if you’re blocked
While the above signs can provide a good indication, there is one foolproof way to truly confirm without a doubt if someone has blocked you on WhatsApp:
Try calling them through WhatsApp – if the call instantly disconnects without ringing, it’s 100% confirmed that you’ve been blocked and they have chosen to ignore your messages going forward.
This method works because you cannot call someone who has blocked you on WhatsApp, so the call will fail to connect right away if you’ve been blocked.
Next steps if you’re being ignored
If after reviewing the signs, you determine someone is clearly ignoring your WhatsApp messages, here are some recommendations on what to do next:
- Don’t flood them with more messages – this may annoy them further.
- Have an honest conversation about why they may be avoiding you.
- Give them space if they request and don’t pester them to respond.
- Focus conversations on interests that previously engaged them.
- Suggest talking on the phone or meeting in person.
- Apologize if you did anything that may have upset them.
- Avoid confrontation or aggressive language.
- Politely follow up no more than once a week if the ignoring continues.
- If it’s apparent they have blocked you, respect their decision and discontinue contacting them.
With patience and understanding, you may be able to reconnect with someone who has been ignoring you. But in some cases, the lack of response is their way of indicating they do not wish to continue the relationship. Accept this decision with grace and move on.
Conclusion
Being left on read or having your WhatsApp messages ignored can be frustrating and confusing. However, by watching for the telltale signs outlined here, you can get a good sense if someone is intentionally avoiding your messages or has even outright blocked you on WhatsApp.
While it can be tough to realize you’re being ignored by someone, especially a close connection, try not to take it personally. People have many motivations for distancing themselves from WhatsApp chats. Give them space, focus on other relationships, and re-establish communication gently if appropriate. With the right approach, you may be able to turn things around.
But if all signs indicate the relationship has run its course, accept this with dignity. Not everyone is meant to be close forever. Use the signs that you’re being ignored as an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. The right people will respond, as long as you approach them with respect, tact and maturity.