Does a blocked contact know they are blocked in WhatsApp - briefly?
When you block someone on WhatsApp, they do not receive a notification that they have been blocked. However, there are some signs they might notice, such as no longer being able to see your profile picture or status updates.
Does a blocked contact know they are blocked in WhatsApp - in detail?
When a user blocks a contact on WhatsApp, the experience and awareness of being blocked vary between the two parties involved: the blocker and the blocked user.
For the blocker, the process is straightforward. By navigating to the contact's profile, selecting "Block Contact," and confirming the action, the blocker effectively removes the contact from their WhatsApp experience. The blocked user's messages will no longer be delivered or received, and any calls from that contact will not come through.
For the blocked user, the situation is less clear-cut. WhatsApp does not send a notification to inform users when they have been blocked by someone else. However, there are several indicators that might suggest to a blocked user that their messages or calls are not being received:
- Message Delivery Status: Blocked users will see only one check mark (✓) next to their sent messages. This indicates that the message has left the sender's device but has not been delivered to the recipient. Normally, two check marks (✓✓) would appear once the message is received by the other party.
- Profile Picture and Status: A blocked user will no longer be able to see the blocker's profile picture or status updates. If they try to view these, they might encounter a generic placeholder image or find that the information is unavailable.
- Calls: Any calls made by the blocked user to the blocker will not go through. The call may ring once and then immediately disconnect, or it may show as "call failed" without providing additional details.
- Last Seen Status: The last seen status of the blocker will no longer be visible to the blocked user. This status might appear frozen at the time when the block was implemented.
Despite these clues, WhatsApp deliberately avoids explicit notifications or clear-cut messages indicating that a contact has been blocked. This design choice is intended to preserve privacy and reduce potential confrontations between users. As such, while there are signs that can alert a user to being blocked, it ultimately remains an inference rather than a definitive notification.