WhatsApp Mute vs. Block: Know the Difference
Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, social media, and web apps.
Arshmeet has been a tech tinkerer since childhood, but she realized her love for technology and writing about 5 years ago. Since then, she has been honing her skills and helping people figure out how things work, troubleshoot problems, choose the right app and products, and dig deep into the new and old concepts of technology. She is a self-professed Apple Enthusiast who loves debating what’s good and what’s not. It is her passion for finding techniques, hacks, apps, and products that make everyday life simpler.
What Is Block on WhatsApp?
Block is a harsh way to stop messages from someone. When youblock a contact on WhatsApp,you cannot have a conversation with them, as the block restricts all kinds of communication — direct chats, voice calls, and video calls.
How to Block Someone on WhatsApp
Go to the chat you want to block. Tap thethree-dot iconat the top-right corner →More→Block→ tapBlockagain to confirm.
Note: To unblock, repeat the steps and tap onUnblock. To view all your blocked contacts, navigate toWhatsApp settings→Account→Privacy→Blocked contacts.
What Is Mute on WhatsApp?
Mute is a friendlyalternative to block. In simple words, mute means tosilence notifications. When you mute a chat, you will not receive audio notifications whenever the said contact sends you a message directly.
To check for new messages from that person, you must check the contact’s muted chat on WhatsApp.
How to Mute Someone on WhatsApp
Launch WhatsApp and open the chat you want to mute. Tap thethree-dot icon→Mute notifications. From the pop-up, select thedurationyou want to mute notifications and tapOK.
WhatsApp Mute vs. Block
Groups and Personal Chats
While you can mute personal chats and groups, you can only block individual chats. The block feature isn’t available for groups. You mustexit the groupto stop receiving messages from it.
There are two important things to remember while using these features:
What Happens to WhatsApp Calls?
Blocking someone stops all WhatsApp communication with them, including calls. You can neither make nor receive voice or video calls.
When you mute a chat, the muted contact can still call you. Interestingly, muting does not mute call notifications—it only mutes message notifications.
Note: The block is limited to WhatsApp and doesn’t apply to conversations or calls on other apps. The blocked person can still contact you outside WhatsApp.
What Happens to Past Conversations?
When you block or mute someone, nothing happens to past conversations. Those chats remain on WhatsApp until you delete them manually.
What Happens to Last Seen, Online Status, and Profile Picture?
When you block a contact, the said person cannot see your last seen, profile picture, or online status when you are active on WhatsApp. However, the muted contact can view all those details.
Message Status
WhatsApp has three symbols to show message status. A single grey tick means that the message has been sent but not delivered, two grey ticks indicate that the message has been delivered, and two blue ticks mean that themessage has been read.
When a blocked person sends you a message, they will only get a single grey tick. Since you cannot send a message to a blocked contact, there is no message status for you.
On the contrary, message status follows normal rules for muted contacts. They will get two grey ticks when a message is delivered and it will turn blue when you read the message.
What Happens When You Unblock or Unmute?
When you unmute a chat, you will be notified about future messages. When you unblock a person, you will receive new messages from them. However, you will not receive messages sent while the sender was blocked.
How to Tell if You’ve Been Blocked or Muted
There is no way to know if you have been muted. But when it comes to blocking, even though there is no direct way for that as well, you canfigure out if you’re blockedfrom several hints.
For instance, if the person’s profile picture or online status is missing, or the messages always have a single grey tick, you should know something is fishy.
WhatsApp Mute vs. Block: What Should You Choose?
While mute and block are used to avoid people, they are different. One is used to turn off notifications, and the other stops all forms of communication from any contact on WhatsApp.
You may want to mute your family groups or long-distance relatives who send good morning messages. On the other hand, use a block for your annoying ex,unknown number, or brands that spam a lot. So, pick your weapon wisely.
FAQs
No. You don’t need to worry, as nothing like that happens. The contact details remain on WhatsApp and your phone.
No. The other person will not be notified when you mute or block them.
Yes, you can block a muted person. There is no restriction on that. Similarly, you can mute a blocked contact, but that’s pointless since the blocked person cannot message you anyway.
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Last updated on 31 July, 2024
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