How to Deal with Blocks & Bans on WhatsApp

How to Deal with Blocks & Bans on WhatsApp?

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WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging app in Hong Kong, which is precisely why so many businesses have started using WhatsApp to contact customers and provide more convenient communication.

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There are loads of other instant messaging apps available on the market, but WhatsApp’s dedicated business solutions; WhatsApp Business and the WhatsApp Business API are undoubtedly some of the best messaging apps for communicating with customers. Both WhatsApp Business accounts and the WhatsApp.

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WhatsApp is similar to its parent company Meta’s other products Facebook and Instagram, which also offer the option of both personal and business accounts. As you can probably imagine, when the average WhatsApp user receives spam messages, they might be tempted to block the business account which sent the messages.

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But there’s an important distinction to make. Having a WhatsApp account officially banned by WhatsApp is not the same thing as having an account blocked by a WhatsApp contact. An official WhatsApp ban will suspend your account and make it unusable, and you will have to petition WhatsApp to un-ban the account. A block from a contact will not impact a user’s ability to use WhatsApp, but the block has to be manually removed by the person who put it in place.

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Next, let’s learn about how to block people on WhatsApp, under what circumstances a WhatsApp account can become blocked, and how to remove a block.

How to Block People on WhatsApp?

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Sometimes, we might feel an urge to block a WhatsApp contact, whether they’re using a regular or business account.

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WhatsApp requires users to apply for and verify accounts using a phone number. In other words, WhatsApp accounts are bound to phone numbers. This is extremely convenient for business users, because it allows them to send promotional content to customers both as SMS messages and as messages to their WhatsApp accounts. In many cases, customers don’t mind receiving messages from shops where they have gone shopping in the past, but they may want to block an account if they receive spam messages, to keep from being bothered by that account in the future.

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So how do you block a WhatsApp user?

Blocking WhatsApp Account

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Tap the settings menu for a WhatsApp contact and scroll to the bottom. You will see the option to block a user. Confirm that you want to block the contact and they will be unable to send you further messages or call you.

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The only way for this kind of block to be removed is to wait for the user who placed the block to remove the block. Otherwise, you will be unable to send messages to that user via WhatsApp. However, this will not impact your ability to use the rest of the WhatsApp app. You will still be able to send text, voice, and video messages to other contacts.

Reporting a WhatsApp Account

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If an account seems suspicious and is sending spam messages or harassment, you can report the account to WhatsApp.

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The option to Report someone is also located at the bottom of a contact’s settings. If you confirm reporting someone, the last 5 messages that the contact sent you will be forwarded to WhatsApp. Don’t worry though, the other user will not be informed that you have reported them.

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If WhatsApp determines that the account is problematic, they can take actions to block the account, and the account will be suspended from use and unable to send WhatsApp messages. To reactivate their account and continue using it, the account holder must send WhatsApp a request to unblock their account.

Being Blocked on WhatsApp

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When can your account become blocked by WhatsApp users or WhatsApp itself?

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Being Blocked by a WhatsApp Contact

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If your account becomes blocked by another WhatsApp user, this simply means that the user has cut off communications with you. This could be due to any number of reasons, and is ultimately a personal matter between you and the other user.

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So how will WhatsApp indicate that an account has been blocked? Actually, WhatsApp will not send any kind of notification indicating that a user has blocked you. The only indication that someone has blocked you is that, once you send them a message, the check marks next to the message will remain permanently gray. Or if you used to be able to see their Profile Photo and status updates, but are suddenly unable to view their WhatsApp account profile photo, the time they were last seen, or their online status, then you have probably been blocked. Lastly, if you try calling someone’s WhatsApp and are completely unable to get through, this also means that they have blocked you.

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Having Your Account Banned by WhatsApp

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If your WhatsApp account or WhatsApp Business account is banned by WhatsApp, it’s usually for the following reasons:

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• You have been reported by multiple users
• Sending spam messages
• Creating lots of advertising lists within a short period
• Sending lots of messages within a short period
• Sending messages to lots of users who have not added you as a contact within a short period
• Frequently changing your account’s registered number
• Violating WhatsApp Terms of Service

How to Remove a WhatsApp Block?

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More than a few companies have experienced being having their accounts banned by WhatsApp. And once an account has been banned the first time, it’s even easier for it to be banned the second and third time. Being unable to use WhatsApp for such a long time could cause serious losses to a business. So when a business will of course be eager to find the quickest way possible to unfreeze their WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business accounts that have become banned by WhatsApp.

How to Un-ban Your WhatsApp Account

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When you open WhatsApp, instead of the regular dialogue screen you will see the message “Your phone number is banned from using WhatsApp. Contact support for help.”  

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If you tap the Support button, you will be taken to the WhatsApp appeal page.

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Users can write the reason for their appeal in English, as well as the issue with their account. Remember to be polite when writing your message. You will also be given the option of attaching a screen shot, and will need to include your regional code and phone number. Then tap Next to enter the sending page.

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This is the step that will place you into contact with a WhatsApp staff member who will review your case. Write an email message in English that politely explains the issue. Just like when you are requesting that a ban be removed on a Facebook advertising account, a WhatsApp user should ensure that they will follow WhatsApp’s Terms of Service and thank the WhatsApp employee for their help. When writing your email, remember to include the WhatsApp number that you would like to have un-banned.

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Accounts are generally un-banned within 24 hours.

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How to Un-ban your WhatsApp Business Account

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The process for un-banning a WhatsApp Business account is basically the same as the process for un-banning a regular WhatsApp account, except that business users need to visit the Contact WhatsApp page on the official WhatsApp website: smb_web@support.whatsapp.com, and send them an email with the request.

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Remember to write the email in English and politely describe the issue with your account, and include the phone number of the banned account. The user can mention that the account contains lots of important company and customer information, and that customers contact the company through this account, so it would be appreciated if WhatsApp would un-ban the account as soon as possible. We also recommend that businesses use their official company email to send an un-ban request to WhatsApp, indicating that the company is in fact using this WhatsApp number.

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How to Avoid Getting Banned on WhatsApp

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Even brief account bans can leave a negative impression on customers. Research conducted by HubSpot Research shows that, whether it’s questions about marketing or customer service, over 80% of customers would like to receive replies from businesses within 10 minutes. In addition, lots of businesses have started providing their WhatsApp accounts a way for customers to make inquiries or appointments. So a 24 hour account ban on a business’s WhatsApp account can cause huge problems for customers.

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That’s why it’s a good idea for users to learn how to use WhatsApp correctly and avoid accidentally getting their account banned. Today we gave a quick overview of when a WhatsApp account might become blocked or banned. As a business user, take precautions and make sure to follow the WhatsApp Terms of Use. Both regular users and businesses should regularly back up their WhatsApp information, to make sure they don’t lose any contact information in the vent of a permanent ban.

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Business users might be interested in learning more about the WhatsApp Business API solution designed for medium-to-large enterprises. The WhatsApp API enables multiple users to use an account and respond to messages at the same time. Businesses can also develop more automated messaging management functions to streamline the process of replying to customers. However, because the WhatsApp Business API cannot be directly downloaded from the app store, businesses can look for a one-stop messaging management platform like imBee, which works with the WhatsApp Business API. imBee offers a chatbot, group chats, a browser chat plugin, business messaging reports, and tons of other management functions.