Blocked on WhatsApp – A Guide for Businesses

Right now, WhatsApp has millions of users worldwide, making it the top messaging app in the world for both individuals and businesses. However, it's not uncommon to become WhatsApp blocked, if the other person doesn't want to keep up with your communications.

So, how do you know if someone blocked you on WhatsApp? And more importantly, what can you practically do to avoid this issue for your company communications? Read this guide to find out!

Part 1. How Do You Know If Someone Blocked You on WhatsApp (For Individual Users)?

If you're wondering "how do I know if I'm blocked on WhatsApp" , chances are that you are facing this unfortunate situation. Whether it is a friend, colleague, or acquaintance that has stopped your communications, you can learn how to tell if someone blocked you on WhatsApp. Even WhatsApp will not explicitly notify you that you were blocked, there are several tell-tale signs that will help you figure it out.

The signs of a potential WhatsApp block are the following:

#1 You Can't See Their Last Seen or Online Status

One of the most common indicators that someone has blocked you is the inability to view their "last seen" or "online" status in the chat window. In most chats, you will find that underneath the contact's name, there is a line that says "last seen yesterday midnight". Therefore, you are unable to see if someone has blocked you on WhatsApp. However, it is important to note that users can disable this feature on their own for privacy, so it's not a definite sign.

#2 Profile Picture Doesn't Update

Every user on WhatsApp has a profile picture that they can change whenever they want. Therefore, if the person's profile photo remains the same for a long time or disappears entirely, it might be a sign that they have blocked you. Of course, this depends on the user's previous behavior, in essence, if they are in the habit of frequently updating their profile pics.

#3 Your Messages Show Only One Tick

On WhatsApp, one grey tick means your message was sent, and two grey ticks mean it was delivered. This delivery status update is very useful to learn whether your message has reached its recipient. So, does one check on WhatsApp mean blocked? Not necessarily, as this might simply mean that the user is out of service or that their phone is switched off. If you notice that one checkmark remains for hours or days, then there is a high chance that you've been blocked.

#4 You Can't Make Voice or Video Calls

If you've been thinking, "How do I know if someone blocked me on WhatsApp?", you can try calling the suspected contacts. This is because blocked users are unable to make either voice or video calls to that specific contact. This practically means that your calls will never ring, and you will only see the "Calling…" screen on your phone.

#5 You Can't Add Them to a Group

The final indication of being WhatsApp-blocked is when you try to add the person to a group. In this instance, you won't manage to add them to a group and see a message like "Can't add participant".

Part 2. How Businesses Can Detect If They're Blocked on WhatsApp

In the previous sections, we have shown you how to tell if someone blocked you on WhatsApp for your account. However, detecting a block for a business account is much trickier since customer behavior is more varied. Nevertheless, there are still signs that you can check to discover whether you have been blocked by some of your customers in your contact list.

Here is how to see if someone blocked you on WhatsApp business:

#1 Messages Are Not Delivered

Just like the personal accounts, the delivery status checkmark is the first indication that your business is blocked on WhatsApp. In more detail, if messages to a customer consistently show only one grey tick and never get delivered, it may suggest a block.

#2 No Response Over Time

Consistent customer communications mean that they are engaged with your business. If a customer suddenly stops responding to your multiple attempts at communicating, then this is a sign that something is not right. Combined with other signs, it is how to tell if someone blocked you on WhatsApp.

#3 Inability to Add to Broadcast Lists

With your WhatsApp business account, you gain access to the broadcast feature, with which you can send a message to multiple contacts at the same time. When certain customers in your broadcast list never receive the message, they might have blocked your business account. To ensure that you have been WhatsApp blocked, check your broadcast delivery stats.

#4 Communication Failure Across Multiple Campaigns

Ultimately, if a user never receives or engages with any of your campaigns, then there is a high chance that they have blocked your business. Of course, this might also mean that they are inactive or have deleted the app from their device.

Part 3. What to Do If You Suspect You've Been WhatsApp Blocked (For Businesses)?

Now that you've discovered how, do you know if you're blocked on WhatsApp? But what can you do with that knowledge? First of all, you need to remember that being blocked by a customer doesn't always mean that you've done something wrong. However, it is a sign that your communication strategy can be improved.

In this part, we provide you with some useful tips to boost your business communications by reflecting on your WhatsApp blocks:

#1 Analyze Why You Were Blocked

The first step is to understand the reasons behind being WhatsApp blocked. When you realize what turned off your contacts, you can take all the necessary steps to improve your overall engagement. Some of the most common causes for blocks on WhatsApp include:

#2 Improve Communication Strategies

The following step when you are blocked on WhatsApp is to focus on delivering relevant and personalized messages. For instance, customer segmentation will help you send targeted messages depending on your customers' behavior and characteristics. Moreover, you can conduct A/B tests to find out how different content formats perform and which one is the most engaging for your audience.

#3 Adjust the Frequency and Timing of Messages

When trying to reach out to your business audience, it is important not to overwhelm it with messages. In business communications, less is more, so you should carefully create a schedule to be consistent without tiring your contacts. Some things to keep in mind when doing that are:

#4 Explore Alternative Communication Channels

If you have been blocked on WhatsApp by multiple users, then this might mean that the messaging app isn't working for your business. In that case, it is worth considering developing other channels of communication, such as email, SMS, push notifications, and even social media. An omnichannel platform like EngageLab makes it easy for you to develop several channels from just one interface.

#5 Respect the User's Choice

While knowing how to see if someone blocked you on WhatsApp is useful, you should always remember that it's your customer's choice. Respect their decision, and take it as a chance for learning and not a rejection. This way, you can keep on improving your engagement strategy, thus nurturing leads that turn into loyal customers.

Part 4. Why Choose EngageLab's WhatsApp Business API Service

Developing an efficient WhatsApp strategy requires trial and error, and part of the process is getting WhatsApp blocked. However, EngageLab helps your business deal with the complexities of building a communication strategy on WhatsApp with its user-friendly API platform.

Better Communication Through Smart Segmentation

In EngageLab, you can take advantage of efficient segmentation tools that will allow you to create customer lists based on behavior, preferences, and demographics. These highly specific contact lists are crucial to providing a personalized experience that will keep your customers engaged.

Frequency and Timing Control

EngageLab is also great for scheduling your WhatsApp messages so that they are delivered at the right moment. Furthermore, the app is amazing for creating global campaigns as it allows you to adjust your scheduling based on different time zones. This way, you won't spam your contacts, which often leads to an increased number of blocks.

Omnichannel Messaging

EngageLab isn't limited to WhatsApp. In this platform, you can develop your omnichannel communication strategies by creating email, SMS, and push notification campaigns. Therefore, even if your WhatsApp fails, you will retain active channels of communication with your customers.

Analytics and Delivery Insights

The platform gives you access to real-time analytics, regardless of the channel you are using for your customer communications. For WhatsApp, it provides you with both conversion analysis and messages analysis in which you can view metrics on your WhatsApp campaigns.

Built-In Compliance

EngageLab ensures compliance with data protection laws from all around the globe. In addition to this, it has official certification from WhatsApp, meaning that it complies with WhatsApp's business policy.

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Final Thoughts

In this guide, you have discovered how do you know if someone blocked you on WhatsApp, However, it is worth remembering that being blocked isn't the end of the world. As a business, it is a chance to reflect, improve, and engage with your customers more meaningfully. With EngageLab's WhatsApp Business API, you get all the tools you need to analyze, adapt, and optimize how you reach your customers.

If you are ready to transform how your business communicates on WhatsApp, sign up for EngageLab today. Create your free EngageLab account and see the difference that elevated engagement makes.