If I deleted WhatsApp from my phone, what happens - briefly?
If you delete WhatsApp from your phone, all of your messages and media will be erased from that device. However, your account and chat history will remain intact on other devices where the app is still installed.
If I deleted WhatsApp from my phone, what happens - in detail?
If you decide to delete WhatsApp from your phone, several changes and consequences will occur. Here is a detailed breakdown of what happens:
Firstly, all of your WhatsApp messages, media (photos, videos, documents), and calls within the app will no longer be accessible on your device. This data is stored locally on your phone for quick access, so once you delete the app, that local storage is removed. However, it's important to note that all of this information is also backed up to your cloud storage (iCloud for iOS users and Google Drive for Android users), provided you have enabled backups. Therefore, while you won't see this data on your phone anymore, it isn't permanently lost.
Secondly, your WhatsApp account itself will remain active even after you delete the app from your device. This means that if someone sends you a message or tries to call you on WhatsApp, those messages and calls will still be delivered to any other devices where you have WhatsApp installed and are logged in with the same phone number. For example, if you use WhatsApp Web or have the app on another phone, you will continue to receive messages and calls there.
Thirdly, your contacts and groups within WhatsApp will also be affected. The contacts you interacted with through WhatsApp will no longer appear as "WhatsApp Contacts" in your phone's contact list. Additionally, any groups you were part of will still exist, but your name will be removed from the group members list. If you are an admin of a group, your admin privileges will also be revoked unless you rejoin the group using another device or by reinstalling WhatsApp on your phone.
Fourthly, if you had any pending messages that were in the process of being sent or received at the time of deletion, these may not be delivered successfully. WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for message delivery, which means messages are tied to the specific instance of the app on your device. If the app is deleted mid-communication, the message transmission might fail.
Lastly, if you had any active sessions with WhatsApp Web or desktop clients, these will become inactive once you delete the app from your phone. This means you won't be able to use those platforms until you reinstall WhatsApp on your phone and set up a new session.
In summary, deleting WhatsApp from your phone results in the loss of local data but not the permanent deletion of messages or media, as long as backups are enabled. Your account remains active, and you can continue using WhatsApp on other devices. Contacts and groups will be affected, and pending message transmissions may fail.