How to Block, Unblock and Report Someone on WhatsApp

Does this match what you see?

• Someone is sending you spam, scams or unwanted messages.
• An unknown number keeps messaging or calling you.
• You want to unblock someone you blocked by mistake.
• You want to report a group or business.

iPhone & iPadAndroidComputer (browser)

Based on WhatsApp Help “How to block and report someone” (Web, Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac tabs, supplied by the site owner). WhatsApp’s section on third-party chat apps, only available in some European regions, isn’t covered here.

Why this happens: the possible causes

Which option to use.

• Spam or scamsCheck this first

  WhatsApp says you can report someone if you think they’re sending problematic content or spam.

• Unwanted contactCheck this first

  WhatsApp says blocking stops messages, calls and status updates from that person.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

Report a person, business or group

• Person or unknown number, iPhone: open the chat, tap their name, scroll down and tap Report > Report and block or Report.
• Person or unknown number, Android: open the chat > More options > More > Report, tick the box to also block them if you want, then Report.
• Group: open it, tap the group name > Report group. On iPhone choose Report and exit or Report; on Android, tick the box to exit and delete the chat if you want. You can also report a group when you exit it.
• Business (Android): open the business’s contact info, scroll down and tap Report business > Report, and tick Block business if you want.
• View once photo or video: iPhone: open it, tap More (three dots, bottom corner) > Report > Report and block or Report. Android: More options > Report {contact} > Report.
• WhatsApp Web, Windows and Mac: open the chat, click the person’s or group’s name (or More options on Web), and choose Report. On Web and Windows, tick the box to also block them or exit the group. On Mac, choose Report and block (or Report and exit for a group) or Report, then Done.

What WhatsApp receives when you report

WhatsApp says it receives up to the last five messages the person sent you, basic details of your last five calls with them if you’ve called (such as who called and how long it lasted), their user or group ID, and when and what type of messages were sent. On Android it says it may also receive how you first came into contact. The person or group isn’t notified. On Web and Android, reporting a group removes you from it. On iPhone and Mac, WhatsApp says you’re removed if you choose Report and exit. Either way, an admin would have to invite you back.

Too many offers or promotions from a business?

WhatsApp says its policies don’t allow businesses to contact you without your permission, and you can stop, reduce or block their messages.

• Stop offers and announcements: open the chat with the business, tap Stop, then Stop again. Tap Resume if you change your mind. WhatsApp says you’ll still get messages you chose to receive, such as boarding passes, delivery updates and one-time passwords.
• What’s that info icon in a business chat? WhatsApp says it means Meta may get limited information (like feedback you give and how long you kept a link from the business open) to reduce spam, make messages more relevant and improve Meta ads. Tap it to learn more, or stop chatting before anything is shared. WhatsApp says it doesn’t share your messages, calls, name or phone number, and it limits how many offers you get.
• Get fewer: in the chat, tap the thumbs-down feedback button; from there you can also stop offers or block the business. Tap thumbs-up to keep getting them.
• Block or report: WhatsApp offers these when a business messages you, and asks why you’re blocking. It says your feedback is anonymous to the business. See block a business and report a business.
• Keep your number private: WhatsApp says if you have a username, businesses you haven’t messaged before won’t see your phone number. Sharing it for orders or payments is your choice. WhatsApp also says a business may ask for your location to deliver products or services, and what you submit is only seen by that business.

Is it really a business? And what those chat notices mean

• Check the profile: tap the name at the top of the chat. WhatsApp says a business profile is labeled WhatsApp Business account. A blue checkmark (verified badge) next to the name means Meta verified the business from its activity across Meta or information and documents it provided. WhatsApp says the badge can show in chats, the Calls tab, incoming calls, business profiles and context cards. Paying for Meta Verified or Meta One doesn’t automatically give a badge, and a badge can be removed. Our tip: a business calling you without the badge isn’t proof it’s fake, but be extra careful before sharing anything.
• “This business works with other companies to manage this chat” or “This business uses a secure service from Meta to manage this chat”: WhatsApp says the business uses another company or a secure service from Meta to manage the chat. Otherwise you’ll see the usual end-to-end encryption notice.
• Is a business chat end-to-end encrypted? WhatsApp says chats with businesses using the WhatsApp Business app are, by default. When a business uses optional services (Meta storing messages, AI from Meta or several messaging tools), WhatsApp shows this clearly in the chat and doesn’t consider those chats end-to-end encrypted, and a chat’s encryption status can’t change without you seeing it. Once a business receives your message, its own privacy practices apply. Your personal chats always stay end-to-end encrypted.
• “Uses AI from Meta” under the business name, an AI icon, or messages marked AI: WhatsApp says the business uses Meta’s AI to reply, and Meta may receive those chats to improve its AI. Its answers may not be accurate.
• Want a person instead? WhatsApp says you can ask at any time to stop getting AI messages; the AI will try to connect you with the business. To get or delete Meta’s copy of that AI chat, send /download-ai-info or /reset-ai in the chat (this won’t work after you delete the chat or your account, or if Meta deleted it because the business stopped using its AI). For information the business itself holds, contact the business. Bad AI answer? Tap and hold the message > thumbs up or thumbs down (on iPhone, Good Response or Bad Response); the negative option asks why, then Submit.
• WhatsApp says Meta won’t automatically use your messages to a business for the ads you see, but the business can use your chats for its own marketing, including ads on Meta. Our advice: don’t share passwords, codes or card numbers in any business chat.
• Getting sign-in codes from other apps in WhatsApp? WhatsApp says some apps send one-time passcodes (OTPs) through WhatsApp, and some can fill the code in for you automatically. It says apps should ask your permission first; if you don’t want codes this way, choose another delivery method in that app. Code not arriving? See codes from other apps. Our advice: if you didn’t ask for a code, don’t share it with anyone.
• “You received a one-time passcode… you can only see it on your primary device”? WhatsApp says for security these codes only show on your main phone (the one you registered WhatsApp on), not on linked devices like WhatsApp Web, so check your phone.
• Yellow notice saying the account changed? WhatsApp says a business can stop or start using the WhatsApp Business app at any time, and yellow messages in the chat tell you when it starts again.

Problems with an order, refund or return

• WhatsApp says businesses are responsible for their own customer service and WhatsApp can’t resolve many order, transaction, refund or return problems, so contact the business directly.
• In India: WhatsApp says complaints about a business, its catalog or a purchase go to WhatsApp’s Indian Grievance Officer, and the business must acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and resolve it within 1 month, as Indian law requires.
• Business not replying? WhatsApp says first check your own connection. If you’re connected and it still hasn’t replied, or it breaks WhatsApp’s policies, you can report it.
• Report a product: on WhatsApp Web, open the catalog next to the business name > the product > menu > Report product > Report Product; on Android or iPhone, tap the business name > See All next to Products (Catalog on iPhone) > the product > menu > Report > Report. Choose a reason and Submit. To report the whole business, see report a business.
• Did a business block you? WhatsApp says businesses can block your number: you then can’t message it or see when it’s online. Only the business can remove the block, so if you think it’s a mistake, contact the business another way. WhatsApp says it doesn’t affect your account or messaging anyone else.

Surveys and business group chats

• Survey about a business message? Tap Start survey or Dismiss. WhatsApp says your answers aren’t shared with the business, but WhatsApp and Meta may use them for safety and to improve Meta ads.
• Invited to a group with a business’s staff? WhatsApp says joining is optional (Join group > Join group) and you can Exit group any time; you can also open Safety tools in the group. Some features, like calls, live location, editing and view-once, may not work if the business uses a third-party provider. Businesses can’t add you if your group privacy settings don’t allow it.

Getting lots of messages from unknown numbers?

WhatsApp has an advanced setting, Block unknown account messages: Settings (on iPhone, or your profile picture) > Privacy > Advanced. When it’s on, WhatsApp says it blocks messages from unknown accounts only when they reach a high volume; your contacts can still message you, and blocking stops when the rate returns to normal. WhatsApp says it doesn’t block all unknown messages. Our tip: keep blocking and reporting individual senders as well.

What blocking does and doesn’t do

• Blocked people can’t call or message you. WhatsApp says on iPhone and Android they also can’t see your last seen, online status, status updates or profile photo changes.
• WhatsApp says the chat stays in your chat list; you can delete or archive it.
• Blocking doesn’t remove them from your contacts, or you from theirs. To delete a contact, delete it from your phone’s address book.
• You can’t block a group. WhatsApp suggests leaving the group and blocking the admin, and changing your privacy settings so unknown people can’t add you to groups. To block an admin you haven’t saved: open the group and tap the group subject, then tap the admin (on iPhone and Android, then Info) > Block > Block. On Mac, click Members and the icon next to the admin, scroll down and click Block > Block > Done.
• Blocking doesn’t hide group messages: you’ll still see each other’s messages in groups you’re both in.
• Blocks stay if you use Change number, but if you set up a new WhatsApp account, you’ll need to block people again.

How to know it worked

• The person can no longer message or call you, or WhatsApp has your report.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Someone took over your account? See WhatsApp hacked. Don’t report your own account until you’ve recovered it.
2. Unknown callers? See silence unknown callers.

Frequently asked questions