How to Stop Unknown Numbers from Sending You Messages on WhatsApp

ByJacob Ibrahim

This is blog is a guide about how to stop unknown numbers from sending you messages on WhatsApp. One of the first social media platforms to offer free instant messaging services was WhatsApp. The app is currently used by more than 2 billion people worldwide. This is because it streamlines communication.

When WhatsApp was introduced, people began complaining about the costs of SMS texts. Using the app simplified communication, and users no longer had to worry about the length of their messages or the size of their multimedia files. You can reach out to anyone on the planet with WhatsApp via text messages, voice calls, or video calls if you have a WiFi connection or mobile data.

Internet users can no longer imagine paying inflated rates for overseas calls. WhatsApp has changed how people make international calls for personal or professional reasons drastically. What’s more, you no longer need to pay a hefty amount to call your high school friend in another country or your colleague in another country.

Moreover, the app’s accessibility contributes significantly to its popularity on a wide scale. WhatsApp does not cater to only Apple or Android users. As a result, the app can be installed and used on almost any device.

For now, smartphone owners can’t avoid using the app to carry out their day-to-day communication over the internet. Nevertheless, it is not unnatural to receive weird messages from random people and unknown numbers on WhatsApp. Can you stop unknown people from sending you messages on WhatsApp? Before learning how to block such messages, let’s take a look at how to ensure your privacy on this platform.

How to Stop Unknown Numbers from Sending You Messages on WhatsApp

There is no built-in feature in WhatsApp that automatically identifies unknown numbers and blocks them. When you receive a message from an unknown number, WhatsApp notifies you, and you can choose between BLOCK and ADD. You should block such accounts to stop them from sending you messages. Here are the steps involved in blocking an account.

Step 1: Open a WhatsApp chat from an unknown number. 

Step 2: You will see two options: BLOCK and ADD. Select BLOCK.

Step 3: A dialogue box will appear on your screen. It will read Blocked contacts cannot call you or send you messages. They will not be notified. Tap on BLOCK to confirm. The Report contact button can be tapped if you wish to report the account. 

How to prevent an unknown number from contacting you through WhatsApp

You can choose whether to add or block an unknown number from your contacts list once you receive a message from that number. In other words, if you see a message you receive and realize it is spam, or that it is not from someone you know, you can opt to block that number in order to stop it from bothering you in the future.

In order to make things easier for you to block strangers from your phone and computer, here is our quick tutorial on how to do it:

WhatsApp on Android

  1. If the unknown number has a chat thread, you can select it under the Chats tab on the left.
  2. The “Block” option can be found just beneath the sender’s information on the chat window.
  3. If you would like to confirm your decision, please select either “BLOCK” or “REPORT and BLOCK”.

In the event that you choose to report the number as well, WhatsApp will automatically receive all recent messages sent to you by the person concerned and it may decide to ban them if there is sufficient evidence that the person involved violated the platform’s Terms of Service.


WhatsApp desktop and web apps

  1. Choose the conversation thread with the unknown number in the Chats list on the left-hand side of the screen.
  2. In the top right corner of the chat, click More options (the three-dot icon) > Contact Info. You can also click the person’s name on the subject line to see their contact information.
  3. Click Block at the bottom of the page after you scroll down.
  4. You can confirm your decision by clicking on the BLOCK button.
  5. As soon as you block contact or number, you won’t be receiving any messages, notifications, calls, or updates from them, whether you are using the phone app or the web app. In addition, the blocked person won’t be able to see any of your activity status changes and profile updates on our platform.

Conclusion

The only thing you have to do in order to stop an unknown user from contacting you on WhatsApp is to open a message or a chat thread from the stranger and choose to block his or her number rather than add it to your contacts list. Besides that, you can also click on the contact information page and select “Block” from the options available there.

If you choose to block a number, you will no longer be able to receive any messages, calls, or status updates from this contact. This is a great tool against spammers and annoying strangers.

It is true that when you block a number, you can always unblock it, but you can’t view any messages or notifications from the time you blocked the number, so be careful before you decide to use the block feature on WhatsApp.

Our goal is to help you stop strangers from annoying you on WhatsApp, and we hope that this guide has been helpful. For more tips, tricks, and guides, don’t forget to bookmark our page, and don’t forget to check our website regularly for new tips, tricks, and guides.

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Jacob Ibrahim is a technology enthusiast. Since he has a degree in computer engineering, he has always been willing to help others who are having difficulty understanding technology. He started writing about technology over six years ago. He has focused on how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS, Windows, social media, and web apps. Each day, he writes articles that assist users in solving their technology-related problems.

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