Quick answer
When you block a contact on WhatsApp and then delete their chat, the contact remains blocked but the chat history is deleted. The contact will not be able to see your last seen, online status, or send you any new messages. Their existing messages will also be deleted from your inbox. However, if you unblock the contact in the future, the messages they sent before being blocked will reappear in the chat.
Detailed explanation
Blocking a contact on WhatsApp prevents them from being able to see certain information about you and communicating with you. Specifically, when you block someone:
- They can no longer call or send you messages on WhatsApp.
- Any messages they send will not go through and they will not receive a “delivered” or “read” status.
- They will not be able to see your profile picture, “last seen” status, or when you are online.
- Any messages between you and the blocked contact will remain on your end but disappear from their end.
Blocking alone does not delete the chat history with that contact. Their messages will remain visible in your chats unless you also delete the chat.
Deleting a chat clears the messages and call history between you and that contact. Their messages disappear from the chat screen, but the contact remains in your contacts list.
So if you block a contact and then delete the chat, here is what happens:
- The contact remains blocked and cannot see your info or send new messages.
- The chat history between you and the blocked contact is deleted.
- Their existing messages in the chat are removed on your end.
- Your messages remain visible to you in their chat screen, but they cannot see them.
Later, if you unblock the contact, the chat history does not automatically reappear because it was deleted. However, any new messages sent after unblocking will be visible again.
Importantly, while deleting a chat removes it from your view, WhatsApp may still retain some chat history on their servers for up to 30 days. So if the contact had recently sent you messages before being blocked and deleted, unblocking them within 30 days could potentially restore some of that deleted chat history. But beyond 30 days, the messages are permanently deleted.
When blocked contacts’ messages reappear
As mentioned above, while blocking deletes a contact’s messages from your inbox, their existing messages may reappear if you unblock them in the future.
This is because when you block someone on WhatsApp, their messages are removed from your inbox but remain stored on WhatsApp’s servers. So if you change your mind later and unblock that contact, WhatsApp retrieves their old messages from the server and restores them in your chat.
However, there are some caveats:
- Messages only reappear if you unblock the contact within 30 days of sending them. WhatsApp deletes chat history from its servers after 30 days.
- Media files sent by the contact will not be restored. Only text messages reappear.
- If you deleted the chat before blocking the contact, their messages will not be restored upon unblocking since the chat history was permanently erased.
So in summary, blocked contacts may have their pre-block messages restored only if:
- You unblock them within 30 days
- You did not delete the chat before blocking
Beyond 30 days or if the chat was deleted, blocking and unblocking does not bring back any messages.
When deleted chats reappear
Deleting a chat removes your message history with a contact from view. However, as mentioned, WhatsApp retains deleted chats on their servers for 30 days before permanent deletion.
So what happens if you delete a chat, and then restore it within 30 days?
In this case, the deleted messages will reappear in the chat as WhatsApp pulls them from its server storage. This is true even if you deleted the chat after blocking a contact.
Some key points:
- You can restore a deleted chat within 30 days by clicking on the contact’s name in your contacts list. This brings the chat back with all its message history intact.
- Restoring a deleted chat also restores any media files exchanged earlier.
- Chats can only be restored as long as you have not deleted the contact from your contacts list.
- If you restore a chat after 30 days, the messages are gone for good and do not return.
So in summary, while deleting a chat removes it from view, you have 30 days to change your mind and restore the history. This applies even for blocked contacts’ chats. But after 30 days, deleted chats are permanently erased.
When blocked contacts see your messages
When you block someone, it prevents them from viewing your messages and status updates going forward. But what about messages you sent before blocking them?
If you sent someone messages earlier and then block them, here is what they’ll see:
- They can still see messages from you that were sent before you blocked them.
- They cannot see any messages you send after the time you block them.
- Your earlier messages remain visible in their chat screen, but show up as “sent” instead of “delivered” or “read”.
- If you delete the chat before blocking, even past messages disappear from their view.
So blocking does not retroactively hide messages you already sent to someone. It only prevents new communications after the block.
If you want to delete past messages as well, you need to clear your chat history with them before blocking. This erases your side of the conversation from their inbox too.
Of course, the blocked contact may have already seen and saved your older messages before you deleted the chat. But at least they will no longer be visible in the chat screen itself.
When your messages disappear from a blocked contact’s phone
In most cases, your past messages remain visible to a blocked contact as explained above. However, there are a couple scenarios in which your messages could disappear from their phone:
- You deleted the chat history with the contact before blocking them. This erases all messages from both ends.
- The blocked contact has their chat backup enabled, and they delete your chat themselves. Your messages will be gone from their phone but remain in your chat.
- Their phone is reset to factory settings or they get a new device. Your chat will not be restored during setup.
Aside from these cases, your pre-block messages tend to remain on a blocked contact’s phone. Blocking only prevents new incoming messages, not existing ones.
The only guaranteed way to delete your messages from their phone is to clear your chat history before blocking them. That way, there is no chat data left to retain on their end.
When your media is deleted from a blocked contact’s phone
If you’ve shared media with someone on WhatsApp before blocking them, they can still view and save that media on their phone even after being blocked.
However, there is one exception – your media will be deleted from their phone if:
- You delete your chat history with them before blocking. This erases all messages, including media, from both ends.
Apart from this scenario, any photos, videos, documents, or other files you sent prior to blocking will remain saved on their device.
This is because while blocking prevents new incoming messages, it does not delete existing chat data that’s already been delivered. Their phone has stored and saved copies of the media which remain accessible.
So if you wish to remove any sensitive media you’ve sent someone, you must delete your chat history before blocking them. That is the only way to erase media files from their phone as well.
When your chat disappears from a blocked contact’s phone
Normally, when you block someone on WhatsApp, the entire chat – including your messages – remains visible on their phone.
However, there are two scenarios in which your entire chat could disappear from their phone:
- You delete the chat history with the contact before blocking them. This completely erases the chat from both sides.
- The blocked contact deletes your chat themselves after being blocked. Your messages will be gone from their phone but remain in your chat.
In all other cases, the blocked contact will still be able to access your pre-block messages and view the chat history, even if you can’t see their responses.
So if you wish to make your chat disappear from their phone as well, you need to delete your chat history before blocking them. That is the only foolproof way to remove the entire conversation from their device.
Recovering deleted chats from blocked contacts
If you delete a chat with someone before blocking them, is it possible to recover the deleted messages?
Unfortunately, no. Deleting a chat before blocking permanently erases the messages on both ends.
Here are the reasons you cannot recover a deleted chat from a blocked contact:
- When you delete a chat, WhatsApp only retains the data for 30 days before permanently deleting it.
- Blocking someone prevents you from being able to message them, so you cannot ask them to resend messages.
- You cannot restore messages from a backup, as backups do not include deleted chats.
So if you deleted your chat history with someone and then blocked them, that information is permanently gone after 30 days. There is no way to retrieve it on either end of the conversation.
The only option is to unblock the contact and hope they are willing to resend any important messages you may have deleted. But the original deleted messages and media files cannot be recovered through any technical means once permanently removed.
Conclusion
Here are some key takeaways about blocking and deleting chats on WhatsApp:
- Blocking prevents new communication but does not delete existing messages.
- Deleting chats removes them from view but WhatsApp retains them for 30 days before permanent deletion.
- To delete messages from someone’s phone, you must clear chat history before blocking.
- Deleted chats can only be recovered within 30 days; after that they are gone for good.
- Media files will only be deleted if you cleared chat history before blocking.
- Your messages remain visible to blocked contacts unless you deleted the chat first.
In summary, blocking and deleting serve different purposes. Blocking is for preventing future contact, while deleting erases past messages. To fully remove your messaging history from someone’s phone, you need to delete chats before blocking. This gives you a clean slate and removes all existing messages between you and that person on both devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a blocked contact see my last seen or online status?
No, blocked contacts cannot see your last seen, profile photo, status updates, or when you are online. Blocking prevents them accessing any of your current profile info or activity on WhatsApp.
Can I find out if someone has deleted my number or blocked me?
There is no direct way to know if someone specifically deleted your number or blocked you on WhatsApp. However, signs they may have blocked or deleted you include not receiving delivered or read statuses on your messages, profile photo and online status disappearing, and calls going straight to voicemail.
What happens if a blocked contact deletes my number from their phone?
If a blocked contact deletes your number from their phone contacts, it will not affect your chat history with them on WhatsApp. You will still see the chat on your end with your previously exchanged messages intact.
Can I backup and restore deleted chats that I blocked?
No, you cannot backup and restore deleted chats from blocked contacts on WhatsApp. Backups do not include your deleted chat history, so there is no way to retrieve conversations that were erased before blocking someone.
If I block someone on WhatsApp, can they still message me on Facebook?
Yes, blocking contacts on WhatsApp does not block them on Facebook Messenger or vice versa. They are separate platforms, so you will have to block someone on both apps to fully stop communication.
What happens if I delete and reinstall WhatsApp – will blocked contacts reappear?
If you delete and reinstall WhatsApp, any blocked contacts will remain blocked when you restore your chat history from a backup. They will not automatically unblock or reappear unless you unblock them manually.
Will my messages disappear from a contact’s phone if they reset their device?
If a contact you messaged resets their device to factory settings or activates a new device, your existing chat history and messages will not be restored. So in this case, your messages would disappear from their phone when setting up WhatsApp again.