How to block someone on WhatsApp
Open WhatsApp and find the person's chat. Tap and hold their name (on Android) or swipe left on their name (on iPhone), then select "Block Contact" or the block icon. That person can no longer message you, call you, or see when you're online. They won't be notified that you blocked them, but they may figure it out if their messages stop delivering or if they can't see your profile picture anymore.
The block takes effect immediately. Any messages they send after you block them will sit in their chat with you, but you won't receive them. If they call you, the call won't ring on your phone — it will fail on their end after a few seconds. You can unblock them the same way: find their chat, tap and hold (Android) or swipe left (iPhone), and select "Unblock Contact".
Key Takeaways
- Blocking someone on WhatsApp stops them from messaging or calling you, and hides your online status from them.
- The person you block will not receive a notification, but they may notice their messages are not delivering.
- Messages sent after you block someone will not reach you, and calls from them will fail silently.
- You can unblock someone at any time using the same menu where you blocked them.
- Blocking is different from muting a chat — muting silences notifications but the person can still reach you.
What happens when you block someone
When you block a contact on WhatsApp, several things change immediately. They cannot send you messages, make voice calls, or make video calls. Any message they send after the block goes into their chat window, but it never reaches your phone — you won't see it, and WhatsApp won't show them a "delivered" checkmark.
The blocked person can still see your profile picture, status, and "last seen" timestamp if they viewed them before you blocked them. However, they cannot see updates to any of those things after the block. They also cannot see when you're online in real time. If they try to call you, the call will fail after a few seconds without ringing on your phone.
WhatsApp does not send a notification to the person you block. They have no official alert that you blocked them. However, they may figure it out if they notice their messages are not delivering, or if they try to call and the call fails repeatedly.
Blocking versus muting and other options
Muting a chat is different from blocking. When you mute someone, they can still message and call you — you just won't hear notifications. You can mute a chat for 8 hours, one week, or indefinitely. This is useful if you want to avoid seeing notifications from someone but don't want to cut off contact entirely.
Archiving a chat hides it from your main chat list but does not stop the person from reaching you. Messages from an archived chat will still come through, and the chat will move back to the top of your list when they message you.
If you want to stop seeing a person's messages without blocking them, muting is the gentler option. If you want to prevent them from contacting you at all, blocking is what you need.
How to block someone on Android
Open WhatsApp and go to the Chats tab. Find the person you want to block and tap and hold their name until it highlights. A menu will appear at the top of the screen with several options. Tap the three-dot menu icon (or look for a block icon, depending on your WhatsApp version) and select "Block Contact".
A confirmation message will appear asking if you're sure. Tap "Block" to confirm. The person is now blocked. If you want to see your list of blocked contacts, go to Settings, then Account, then Privacy, then Blocked Contacts. From there you can view everyone you've blocked or unblock someone if you change your mind.
How to block someone on iPhone
Open WhatsApp and go to the Chats tab. Find the person you want to block and swipe left on their name. A red "Block" button will appear. Tap it, and a confirmation message will ask if you're sure. Tap "Block Contact" to confirm.
To see your blocked contacts on iPhone, go to Settings, then Account, then Privacy, then Blocked Contacts. You can unblock someone from this list by tapping "Edit" in the top left, selecting the contact, and tapping "Unblock".
Unblocking someone and what they'll see
To unblock someone, use the same steps you used to block them. On Android, tap and hold their chat and select "Unblock Contact". On iPhone, swipe left on their chat and tap "Unblock". You can also go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked Contacts, find their name, and unblock from there.
When you unblock someone, they do not receive a notification. They won't know you unblocked them unless you message them or they try to contact you and succeed. Any messages they sent while you had them blocked will not suddenly appear in your chat — those messages are lost. Going forward, they can message and call you normally again.
What to do if someone is harassing you
If someone is sending threatening, abusive, or unwanted messages, blocking them is the first step. However, blocking alone does not create a record that can be used later if the harassment continues from another account or platform.
WhatsApp allows you to report a contact before blocking them. When you tap and hold a chat (Android) or swipe left (iPhone), look for a "Report" option. Selecting it sends a copy of recent messages from that person to WhatsApp's trust and safety team. You can report and block at the same time. If the harassment is severe or involves threats, you can also contact local law enforcement and provide them with screenshots of the messages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell if I blocked them?
WhatsApp does not send a notification, but they may figure it out if their messages stop delivering or if calls fail repeatedly. They could also notice they can't see your online status or profile updates. There's no official way for them to know for certain.
What happens to old messages after I block someone?
Messages you already received stay in your chat history. Messages they send after you block them will not reach you. If you unblock them later, those messages sent during the block period will not appear — they are gone.
Can I block someone without them seeing that I read their last message?
If you've already read their message, they've seen the read receipt. Blocking after that won't change it. If you block before reading, they won't see a read receipt, but they may still suspect something is wrong if messages stop delivering.
Does blocking someone on WhatsApp block them on other platforms?
No. Blocking on WhatsApp only affects WhatsApp. They can still reach you on Facebook, Instagram, email, phone calls, or any other platform. You would need to block them separately on each service.
Can I block someone without deleting the chat?
Yes. Blocking and deleting are separate actions. You can block someone and keep the chat history, or delete the chat and keep them unblocked. You can also block, delete the chat, and then unblock them later if you want.