How To Know If Someone Blocked You On WhatsApp In 5 Ways

Here’s how to know if you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp: you can no longer see any updates to the person’s profile photo. Their last seen or online status in the chat window is not visible, you cannot add them to any group chats, and messages sent to them are not delivered.

Did you have an argument with a friend or lover and you’re wondering if they’ve blocked you on WhatsApp but aren’t sure? While I think blocking on WhatsApp should be a last resort, I know many people do it when emotions are high. 

If, like me, you’re dealing with a situation like this and you’re wondering if you’re blocked on WhatsApp, I’m going to share a few ways you can tell. I can’t give you relationship advice, but I can at least let you know if they blocked you on WhatsApp or not.

What To Consider Before Checking If Someone Blocked You On WhatsApp

While there are a few indicators that you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp, there isn’t a  definitive one. This is because WhatsApp purposefully keeps it ambiguous to protect the person’s privacy, as I learned via the WhatsApp Help Center. In addition to this, if the person is not connected to the internet, then this could also be a reason why they’re not showing up for you. 

I’ll go into further detail in the article, but please keep this in mind going forward. 

5 Ways How To Tell If You’ve Been Blocked On WhatsApp

I’ve known for years that WhatsApp is extremely popular across the globe, but I recently found out that 2.44 billion users worldwide have a WhatsApp account according to Verloop, an AI company. Despite its global popularity, WhatsApp hasn’t really taken root in the States like it has in other countries, according to Digital Trends.  

That being said, WhatsApp is still the default mode of communication for many people around the world, such as myself, and is still used by many people in the U.S. One reason for WhatsApp’s popularity is its availability and the fact that it has tons of features that make communication easy. 

Just like WhatsApp makes communication and access to your contacts easy, removing that access by blocking someone on WhatsApp is just as simple. If you’re the one who has been blocked and want to know for sure, here are 5 ways to tell that you’ve been blocked by a WhatsApp contact. 

No Change To Their Profile Picture

In the past, when someone blocked you on WhatsApp, you wouldn’t be able to see their profile picture. Instead, you’d see the default blank profile photo similar to what’s in my screenshot above. However, I recently learned via the WhatsApp Help Center that now when someone has blocked you on WhatsApp, you won’t see any updates to their profile picture. 

This means that you’ll see the contact’s profile picture that they had up when they blocked you. Therefore, if this is someone who changes their profile picture often and they’ve had the same one for far longer than usual, it’s possible that they’ve blocked you. Funny enough, this is how I figured out I was blocked by an ex. 

Messages Won’t Be Delivered

Besides the profile picture, another way to tell that you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp is that when you send messages, they are not shown as delivered, only sent. These messages will only have a single grey tick, which means they’ve been sent, but not two grey ticks, which means they’ve been delivered. 

However, it’s important to note that if you see a single grey tick, it could mean that the person simply isn’t connected to the internet. Another reason could be due to issues with WhatsApp on that person’s device. I had an issue where I received delayed notifications from WhatsApp or delayed messages, even when the internet is fine. 

If that’s not the case and they’re someone who you know is always connected, whether it be via WiFi or mobile data, then the single ticked messages could be a sign that they’ve blocked you. 

Last Seen & Online Status Are Not Visible

When you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp, you won’t be able to see the person’s last seen time stamp or their online status. However, it’s important to note that people can turn off their last seen and online status. This means that just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean that they’ve blocked you. 

Another important note is that if you’re like me and you’ve turned off your last seen and hidden your online status on WhatsApp, then you won’t be able to see the contact’s online status. This is why I don’t rely heavily on these as a marker of if I’ve been blocked or not. 

These aren’t the only reasons either. I learned via the WhatsApp Help Center that another reason why you may not be able to see someone’s Last Seen or online status is that they may not have you saved as a contact. 

Voice & Video Calls On WhatsApp Fail

While the last seen and online status isn’t reliable, a better way to tell if someone has you blocked on WhatsApp is that you cannot reach them via video calls or voice calls on WhatsApp. This is because when you’re blocked on WhatsApp, you can still call them, however, it will only ring because the person who blocked you won’t receive them. 

What I’ve done before is to make a regular call directly to the person’s phone that I suspected blocked me and ask if there was a connection issue because I couldn’t reach them via WhatsApp call. Luckily, this was the case and I wasn’t blocked. I learned via the WhatsApp Help Center that a number of things can hinder a WhatsApp call, such as your phone’s battery saver. 

Can’t Add Them To A WhatsApp Group

While the other signs are not foolproof, I’d say the best way to tell if someone has blocked you on WhatsApp is when you’re not able to add them to any group chats. If this is the case, then you’ve likely been blocked. I tested it out by having my friend block me on WhatsApp. Afterward, I tried adding him to a group chat and I got the message above in the screenshot. 

However, while this is the best sign, in my opinion, it’s not a guarantee either. This is because someone can restrict who can them to groups on WhatsApp, according to the WhatsApp Help Center. 

FAQs

How To Know If You’ve Been Blocked On WhatsApp – Wrapping Up

What are your thoughts on this article?

I know that learning that someone has blocked you on WhatsApp is not the best news, especially if that someone is a person you care deeply about. I’ve been there before, but I believe that it’s best to respect that person’s decision, even if you don’t agree with it.

To reiterate, while the signs above aren’t foolproof, they can help you know if someone on WhatsApp has blocked you. Not being able to add them to a group chat is a good indicator and the best one out of all five to me. 

Besides that, if all of your messages are sent but not delivered, you cannot reach them via WhatsApp call, or see their last seen or any updates to their profile picture, then you’ve likely been blocked. 
If you have any questions for me, drop them in the comments below. Also share this article with your friends, family, and followers too.