Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Andy Sansom

How to unblock in WhatsApp

WhatsApp logo on iPhone

You need to know how to unblock in WhatsApp. If you’ve ever had a disagreement with someone or just needed some time away, you might have decided to block someone on the messaging app.

But, second chances are a beautiful thing. And once you know how to unblock someone in WhatsApp, you’ll be able to hand them out when you're ready to speak to that person again. 

Let's look at how it works in practice. In this case, Tom's Guide How-to Editor Pete Wolinski and I had yet another disagreement about commas. So, I blocked him.

But time has passed, things have mellowed and I’m ready once more to be the good guy and forgive him. This is how I went about unblocking Pete in WhatsApp. 

How to unblock in WhatsApp 

Note: I performed this on my Android phone but the process is identical for iPhones too. 

  1. Open WhatsApp and tap search  
  2. Search for the blocked person  
  3. Tap the bubble below the chat and then tap unblock 

1. Open Whatsapp and tap search

Open Whatsapp and then tap on the search function at the top of the screen.

2. Search for the blocked person

Type in the name of the blocked person and tap on their profile.

3. Select the bubble and then unblock

Tap the bubble below the last message sent or received and then tap Unblock when prompted.

There you go, now you know how to reinstate someone when you're ready to reconnect. Just remember that you can always re-block someone if they start to become abusive or hurtful on the messaging platform. 

If you want to be a WhatsApp wizard and make the most of the messaging service,  check out our guides on how to use Whatsapp group video calling, how to Make Voice Calls on WhatsApp or how to use WhatsApp on Apple Watch. Of course, if you suspect you've been blocked by someone, you can check for yourself with how to tell if you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp.

More from Tom's Guide

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.