Will chat history be deleted if I block someone in WhatsApp - briefly?
No, blocking someone on WhatsApp does not delete the chat history. The messages will remain visible in your chat list, but you will no longer receive messages or calls from that contact.
Will chat history be deleted if I block someone in WhatsApp - in detail?
When you block a contact on WhatsApp, the chat history with that person is not automatically deleted from your device or theirs. However, there are several important considerations to understand how blocking affects the visibility and accessibility of this chat history:
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Visibility: After blocking someone, you will no longer see their messages in your chat list. This means that any new messages they send will not appear on your screen. Conversely, if you unblock them later, those messages sent during the block period will still be visible to you.
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Accessibility for You: The previous chat history with the blocked contact remains on your device. You can access it by going to your phone's file manager and navigating to the WhatsApp database folder. However, this requires technical knowledge and is not a straightforward process.
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Accessibility for Them: Similarly, the blocked contact will still have access to the chat history on their device. They can view all the previous messages you exchanged before you blocked them.
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Media Files: Any media files (photos, videos, documents) shared in the chat remain accessible to both parties after blocking. These files are stored locally on each user's device and are not deleted by WhatsApp when someone is blocked.
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Group Chats: If you are part of a group chat with the person you have blocked, their messages will still appear in the group chat. However, they won't be able to see your messages or any changes to your status.
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Future Communication: If you decide to unblock this contact in the future, all previous messages and media files will reappear as if nothing had happened. The blocking action does not delete any data; it merely restricts the flow of new information between both parties.
In summary, while blocking someone on WhatsApp does not delete chat history, it does prevent further communication from that person and hides their messages from your view until you choose to unblock them. For complete removal of chat history, you would need to manually delete the conversation from your device.