WhatsApp fixes bug that let users detect when they were blocked

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WhatsApp has fixed a bug that allowed users to tell whether someone had blocked them by checking the app’s automatic encryption verification. The change was first spotted by WABetaInfo, which reports that the workaround no longer works on either Android or iPhone.

Last week, WABetaInfo highlighted a workaround that let users open a contact’s info page and check end-to-end encryption for clues about whether they had been blocked. If the automatic verification failed and asked users to verify encryption manually, it was often a strong sign that the other person had blocked them.

Although WhatsApp never officially acknowledged this behavior, the method quickly gained attention because it worked consistently.

WhatsApp closes the loophole

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has now fixed the issue.

Automatic encryption verification now completes successfully even in chats where a contact has blocked you, meaning users can no longer rely on the feature to confirm whether they’ve been blocked.

The publication notes that this was never an issue with WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption itself. Encryption between chats was never removed or broken after a block. Instead, the issue was limited to the automatic verification process, which incorrectly failed whenever the other person had blocked you. WhatsApp has now corrected that behavior while leaving its encryption system unchanged.

Another interesting detail is that the fix appears to have been rolled out entirely from WhatsApp’s servers. WABetaInfo says it tested the same version of the app that previously exposed the bug, but the verification now works normally. Since there wasn’t a new update on either the Google Play Store or the App Store, the publication believes WhatsApp deployed the change through a server-side update.

Other signs of a block remain unchanged

While this particular workaround is no longer available, other common signs of a block still behave the same way. Messages that remain on a single gray check mark for a long time, calls that fail to connect, and a missing profile photo are still among the indicators users typically look for. However, none of these signs alone can confirm that someone has blocked you.

The server-side fix is already available to everyone on WhatsApp for Android and iPhone, regardless of the app version they’re using.

Do you think WhatsApp was right to remove this unofficial way of detecting a block? Let us know in the comments below.

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