Help Article | How to block and report contacts

You can stop receiving messages and calls from certain contacts by blocking them. You can also report them if you think they are sending problematic content or spam.

Block a contact

Press Options > Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked > Add new...

Search for or select the contact you want to block.

Press BLOCK.

Here are a couple of alternative options for blocking a contact:

Select the chat with the contact in your chats list, then press Options > View contact > Block > Block.
Open a chat with the contact, then press Options > View contact > Block > Block.

Block an unknown phone number

To block an unknown phone number, you have a couple options:

Select the chat with the unknown phone number in your chats list, then press Options > View contact > Block > Block.
Open the chat with the unknown phone number, then press Options > View contact > Block > Block.

Note:

Blocked contacts will no longer be able to call you or send you messages.
Your last seen, online, and any changes made to your profile photo will no longer be visible to contacts you've blocked.
Blocking a contact won't remove them from your contacts list, nor will it remove you from the list on the contact's phone. To delete a contact, you must delete the contact from your phone's address book.
If you're concerned whether a blocked contact will know you're blocking them, please read this article.

Unblock a contact

Press Options > Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked.

Select the contact you want to unblock.

Press UNBLOCK.

Here are a couple of alternative options for unblocking a contact:

Select the chat with the contact in your chats list, then press Options > View contact > Unblock.
Open a chat with the contact, then press Options > View contact > Unblock.

Note:

If you unblock a contact, you won't receive any messages or calls the contact sent you during the time they were blocked.
If you unblock a contact or phone number that wasn't previously saved in your phone’s address book, you won't be able to restore that contact or phone number to your phone.

Report a contact

Open the chat with the user you wish to block

Press Options and select View contact

Press REPORT USER.

Note: WhatsApp receives the last five messages sent to you by the reported user or group, and they won’t be notified. WhatsApp also receives the reported group or user ID, information on when the message was sent, and the type of message sent (image, video, text, etc.).

Report a view once photo or video

Open the view once photo or video.

Press Options in the bottom corner.

Press Report.

To learn more about view once, read this article.

WhatsApp Features

TEXTS

Simple, Reliable Messaging

Message your friends and family for free*. WhatsApp uses your phone's Internet connection to send messages so you can avoid SMS fees

* Data charges may apply. Contact your provider for details.

GROUP CHAT

Groups to keep in touch

Keep in touch with the groups of people that matter the most, like your family or coworkers. With group chats, you can share messages, photos, and videos with up to 256 people at once. You can also name your group, mute or customize notifications, and more.

WHATSAPP ON WEB AND DESKTOP

Keep the Conversation Going

With WhatsApp on the web and desktop, you can seamlessly sync all of your chats to your computer so that you can chat on whatever device is most convenient for you. Download the desktop app or visit web.whatsapp.com to get started

WHATSAPP VOICE AND VIDEO CALLS

Speak Freely

With voice calls, you can talk to your friends and family for free*, even if they're in another country. And with free* video calls, you can have face-to-face conversations for when voice or text just isn't enough. WhatsApp voice and video calls use your phone's Internet connection, instead of your cell plan's voice minutes, so you don't have to worry about expensive calling charges.

* Data charges may apply. Contact your provider for details.

END-TO-END ENCRYPTION

Security by Default

Some of your most personal moments are shared on WhatsApp, which is why we built end-to-end encryption into the latest versions of our app. When end-to-end encrypted, your messages and calls are secured so only you and the person you're communicating with can read or listen to them, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

Share Moments that Matter

Send photos and videos on WhatsApp instantly. You can even capture the moments that matter to you most with a built-in camera. With WhatsApp, photos and videos send quickly even if you're on a slow connection.

DOCUMENTS

Document Sharing Made Easy

Send PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, slideshows and more, without the hassle of email or file sharing apps. You can send documents up to 100 MB, so it's easy to get what you need over to who you want.