WhatsApp users can find out if they have been blocked by a contact: Here’s how

WhatsApp provides the functionality of blocking people in their chats to stop getting new messages from that contact. However, the person who is blocked does not get any notification of the same. WhatsApp has listed a few ways in which you can tell whether your number has been blocked by a specific person/contact.

Here are a few ways to know that you’ve been blocked:

* You can no longer see a contact's last seen or online in the chat window
* You do not see updates to a contact's profile photo.
* Any messages sent to a contact who has blocked you will always show one check mark and never show a second check mark

* Any calls you attempt to place will not go through.
* If you see all of the indicators above for a contact, this could mean that the user is blocking you.

Despite the above-mentioned pointers, there is no way to be 100% sure that the contact has blocked you or is dealing with a connectivity issue. According to WhatsApp, they have made this intentionally ambiguous in order to protect the user's privacy when they block someone. WhatsApp will never relay the information directly to a contact that they are blocked.

Apart from just blocking contacts, users can even report them if they think they are sending problematic content or spam.

How to block a user on Android

Open WhatsApp, tap More options icon (three dots) and then Settings.
Within settings Tap Account > Privacy > Blocked contacts.
Then tap Add.
Search for or select the contact you want to block.

How to block a contact on iPhone

Open WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked > Add New....
Find the contact you want to block, then tap the contact.
Alternatively, the user can block a contact using the following steps

Open the chat with the contact, then tap the contact's name then click on Block Contact then select Block or Report Contact then tap Report and Block, which will report and block the number.

or

Swipe left the chat with the contact in your Chats tab, then tap More then Contact Info then Block Contact then Block or Report Contact then Report and Block, which will report and block the number.

WhatsApp groups

WhatsApp groups are a great way to stay connected to family, friends, or even colleagues, but the feature is often exploited by many to add tons of people to groups in order to sell products or promote services. These groups are often created without permission from participants and this could be frustrating for many. Most of us hate being a part of unnecessary groups and often consider if it's rude to just exit a group. The best way out of this is to have a filter that will stop random people from adding you to groups.

How to prevent unknown users from adding you to WhatsApp groups 

Thankfully, there is a setting that you can tweak in the privacy section of you WhatsApp account that spares you from getting added to random groups. This setting lets you customise who can add you to groups and, by default, the setting is set to ‘Everyone', which means anyone with your phone number can add you in a group. It is important to note that group admins can send you invite links and nudge you to join groups, even after you tweak the settings. In order to avoid getting added to groups by random people, follow the steps below:

1.  Open WhatsApp, click on the three dots on the top right corner of the screen.

2.  Click on the Settings option and then tap Account.

3.  Click on Privacy > Groups. The default setting is likely to be set to ‘Everyone'.

4.  You can select from three options — ‘Everyone', ‘My Contacts', and ‘My Contacts Except'.

5.  The ‘Everyone' option lets any user with your phone number add you in a group without your permission.

6.  The ‘My Contact' option only lets those users add you in groups whose numbers you have saved in your contact list.

7.  The last ‘My Contacts Except' option lets you choose exactly who can add you to groups by letting you filter further and delist the contacts you don't want to be added by to a group.