If I delete a contact from WhatsApp, will they still be able to see me - briefly?
If you delete a contact from WhatsApp, they will still be able to see your profile picture and status updates in their contacts list, but they won't be able to message you directly unless they save your number again.
If I delete a contact from WhatsApp, will they still be able to see me - in detail?
When you delete a contact from WhatsApp, the primary effect is on your local device and app interface. The contact is removed from your address book within the app, meaning you can no longer initiate communication with them through their contact card. However, this action does not prevent the other party from seeing or contacting you in several ways:
- Existing Conversations: If you have had conversations with the deleted contact before, those chat histories will remain visible on both your and the other person's devices. They can still access these past conversations and see your messages and profile picture if they were shared within those chats.
- Group Chats: If both of you are members of any group chats, your presence and interactions in those groups will remain visible to them. Deleting a contact from your personal address book does not remove you from any group conversations you are part of.
- Phone Number Visibility: WhatsApp uses phone numbers as unique identifiers for accounts. Even if the contact is deleted on your end, their ability to see and communicate with you depends on whether they have saved your number in their contacts or not. If they have your number saved, they can still initiate a chat with you by manually typing it into WhatsApp.
- Status Updates: Your status updates (such as profile picture changes, about information, and stories) will remain visible to them if they are in your contact list or if they have your phone number saved. Deleting the contact from your end does not restrict their access to these updates.
- Blocking Option: If you want to prevent someone from seeing your status updates, profile picture, and last seen information, you would need to block them. Blocking is a more stringent measure that stops all communication between you and the other person entirely.
In summary, deleting a contact from WhatsApp primarily affects your local interaction with that person but does not prevent them from seeing or reaching out to you through existing conversation threads, group chats, or by manually typing in your phone number. For complete privacy control, consider blocking the individual instead of just deleting their contact information.