What happens on WhatsApp if someone changes their number?

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion users. A key feature of WhatsApp is that it uses your phone number as your unique ID on the platform. So what happens when you or one of your WhatsApp contacts decides to change their phone number?

Your account when you change numbers

If you are the one changing your phone number, your WhatsApp account will remain intact. However, you need to update your number in WhatsApp to continue using your account. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to update your number on WhatsApp when you get a new phone number:

1. Make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your phone.
2. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Account > Change Number.
3. Enter your old and new phone numbers.
4. Tap Next and WhatsApp will send a verification code to your new number.
5. Enter the 6-digit verification code and your number change will be complete.

Once you update your number, your WhatsApp account will remain intact with your chat history, groups, media etc. Your contacts will see your new number and all previous messages will still show your old number.

Important points

• You have to update your number within 14 days of getting new number, or your account will be deleted.
• Your groups will not be notified when you change your number.
• Your old number will not have access to your WhatsApp account after you change numbers.
• You can only update your number if your SIM card changes, porting the same number to a new SIM will not trigger a number change on WhatsApp.

What happens when your contact changes numbers

If one of your WhatsApp contacts decides to change their phone number, here is what will happen from your end:

1. The contact name will automatically update to show the new number.
2. The chat history will remain intact under the new number.
3. Any new messages you send will be delivered to your contact’s new number.
4. If you have your contact’s old number saved, it will not be automatically deleted. You have to manually delete the old number.
5. Group chats will show the updated number of the contact without any notification.

So in essence, everything will function normally when a contact changes their number, except their name and number everywhere on your app will be updated. The entire chat history will remain accessible.

Important points

• You don’t have to do anything when a contact changes number, it happens automatically.
• The contact has to re-share their new number with you for the update to take place.
• Messages sent to your contact’s old number will not be delivered after they change their number.
• Your contact can still access their WhatsApp account for 14 days after changing numbers.

How to find out if a contact changed their number

Since WhatsApp automatically updates your contacts’ numbers without notification, you may not even realize when a contact changes their number. Here are some tell-tale signs to look out for:

• The contact name looks different in your chat list
• You get “undelivered” messages when texting a contact who previously had a green verification tick
• A new number shows up in group chats instead of a contact’s old number
• You notice a new number under the same contact name in your phonebook
• A contact tells you outright that they are changing their number

If you notice one or more of these occurrences, it likely indicates your WhatsApp contact has changed their number recently.

How to confirm a number change

If you suspect a contact changed number but are not sure, there are a couple of ways to find out:

• Check your chat history with the contact’s name/number and see if the number is different
• Send them a WhatsApp message and see if it delivers successfully
• Use the WhatsApp Call feature and see if the call goes through
• Ask the contact directly if they have changed their number recently

Once you confirm the number change, make sure to update the contact’s details in your phone book if you still have their old number saved.

What if you don’t have the new number?

If a WhatsApp contact changed their number but didn’t share the new number with you, here is what will happen:

• You will see a phone icon instead of their profile photo in chat
• Messages will no longer be delivered and show a red exclamation point
• You won’t be able to call them on WhatsApp anymore
• In groups, their name will show but with no number

To get your contact’s new number:

1. Ask your mutual connections if they have the new number
2. Reach out on other social platforms like Instagram or Facebook
3. Use their official work email or phone number to request the new number

Without your contact’s new number, you unfortunately cannot message or call them on WhatsApp. Your only option is to reach them through other means and request their updated contact information.

Lost chats and media when changing numbers

WhatsApp claims that your chat history and media are preserved when you change your number. However, many users have complained about losing chats and media during the number change process. Here are some common scenarios when data loss occurs:

• Not backing up chats before changing numbers
• Uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp after changing numbers
• Changing from an Android phone to iPhone or vice versa
• Linked devices stop syncing after a number change
• Restoring from an old backup overrides the new number backup

To avoid any potential data loss when you change numbers:

1. Backup your chats before changing numbers under Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
2. Don’t delete or reinstall WhatsApp after the number change.
3. Make sure all linked devices are connected to the same WiFi network during number change.
4. Only restore from a backup taken after the number change.

How businesses handle WhatsApp number changes

For businesses that use WhatsApp to engage with customers, an agent or phone number change can impact operations. Here are some best practices for businesses to manage WhatsApp number changes:

Notify customers in advance

• Send a bulk WhatsApp message informing customers of imminent number change.
• Update your business website, social media, Google listing with new number.
• Print new contact number on invoices, packaging or storefront.

Maintain continuity

• Keep old number active for couple of weeks, forward calls/messages to new number.
• Set up WhatsApp Business API to seamlessly transfer chats to new number.
• Cross-reference customer data across old and new numbers.

Train agents on number change

• Inform all customer-facing agents of the number change.
• Train agents to reassure customers when asked about number change.
• Update internal databases and software with new WhatsApp number.

Example business number change communication

Here is an example WhatsApp message a business could send to customers when changing their WhatsApp number:

Dear customer, we are updating our WhatsApp business number from [old number] to [new number] effective December 1, 2022. Please save our new number to keep chatting with us seamlessly. Your chat history will be restored on our new number. For any concerns, contact our customer service at [help email/number]. We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your continued support!

Conclusion

Changing phone numbers can be a hassle but WhatsApp has built-in tools to help retain your chat history and contacts when you or your contacts change numbers. The key steps are backing up chats before switching numbers, updating your number within 14 days, and notifying contacts to avoid disruption. Businesses need additional measures like informing customers, maintaining number continuity during the transition, and training agents to ensure no customer impact. With some care taken during the number change process, you can continue using WhatsApp without losing any data or connections.