What happens if I block a contact and then delete them in WhatsApp - briefly?
When you block a contact on WhatsApp, any messages they send will not be delivered, and their calls will be blocked. If you subsequently delete the contact, you will no longer see them in your contacts list, but the blocking effect remains intact; they will still be unable to reach you through WhatsApp.
What happens if I block a contact and then delete them in WhatsApp - in detail?
When you block a contact on WhatsApp, several immediate changes occur:
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Communication Block: The blocked contact can no longer send you messages or calls through WhatsApp. Any attempts to do so will fail silently for them; they won't receive any notifications indicating that their message was not delivered.
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Invisible Status: You become invisible to the blocked contact. They cannot see your profile picture, about section, or status updates. Similarly, you won't be able to view theirs either.
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Group Interactions: If both of you are part of a group, the blocked contact will still be able to send messages within that group, and you will receive them. However, any direct communication outside the group is prevented.
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No Notifications: You won't receive notifications for any messages or calls from the blocked contact. This includes any future attempts they make to reach out to you.
After blocking a contact, if you then decide to delete them:
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Deletion Process: Deleting the contact removes their entry from your phone's address book. This action is separate from the block and does not affect the block itself.
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Block Remains Active: The block remains in place even after deletion. The contact will still be unable to communicate with you directly, and you won't receive any notifications or messages from them.
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No Reciprocity: Deleting a blocked contact does not unblock them. The only way for the block to be lifted is if you manually go into your WhatsApp settings and remove the block.
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Data Retention: Deleting a contact from your phone does not delete their messages or media from your WhatsApp. Those will remain in your chat history until you choose to delete them.
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Future Re-addition: If, for any reason, you re-add the contact back into your phone's address book, they will still be blocked on WhatsApp unless you manually remove the block. They won’t receive any notifications about being added back either.
In summary, blocking a contact in WhatsApp effectively cuts off direct communication from that user. Deleting them afterward maintains this block and simply removes their contact information from your phone's address book without affecting the existing block status on WhatsApp.