How to disconnect from WhatsApp - briefly?
To disconnect from WhatsApp, you can either delete your account or temporarily deactivate it. Deleting the app from your device will not disconnect you; you must use WhatsApp's settings to formally remove your account.
How to disconnect from WhatsApp - in detail?
Disconnecting from WhatsApp can be necessary for various reasons, such as switching devices or accounts. Here's a detailed guide on how to disconnect from WhatsApp:
On Android Devices:
- Backup Your Chats: Before disconnecting, ensure you back up your chats. Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and follow the prompts to save your conversation history to Google Drive.
- Unlink WhatsApp from Google Drive: To prevent automatic backup, go to your phone's settings, then to Accounts (or Users & accounts), select Google, and find WhatsApp in the list of authorized apps. Remove it.
- Delete Your Account: Open WhatsApp, tap on the three dots in the top right corner to access Settings, navigate to Account > Delete My Account. Enter your phone number and reason for deletion if prompted. This will remove your account from WhatsApp's servers.
On iOS Devices:
- Backup Your Chats: Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and back up your chats to iCloud.
- Unlink WhatsApp from iCloud: Go to your phone’s settings, tap on your name at the top (to access iCloud settings), select iCloud, scroll down to find WhatsApp in the list of apps using iCloud, and turn off the toggle.
- Delete Your Account: Open WhatsApp, tap on Settings (gear icon), navigate to Account > Delete My Account. Enter your phone number and reason for deletion if prompted. This will remove your account from WhatsApp's servers.
On Desktop:
- Log Out of Web/Desktop: If you use WhatsApp on your computer, log out by clicking the three dots in the top-left corner and selecting Log Out.
- Delete Account: While WhatsApp doesn’t offer a direct way to delete an account via desktop, you can do so from your mobile device as described above. This will also disconnect your desktop version.
Additional Steps:
- Clear Cache and Data: After deleting your account, clear the app data to remove any cached information. Go to your phone’s settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Storage & cache > Clear storage/data.
- Uninstall WhatsApp: Finally, uninstall WhatsApp from your device to ensure complete disconnection.
Following these steps will effectively disconnect you from WhatsApp, ensuring that your data is backed up and your account is properly deleted.