A quieter WhatsApp.

1. Silence calls from unknown numbers

WhatsApp says anyone who has your phone number can call you on WhatsApp. You can stop those calls ringing without blocking anyone.

1. Android

   Tap more options (three vertical dots), then Settings, then Privacy. Tap Calls. Turn on Silence unknown callers.

2. iPhone

   Tap Settings or your profile picture, then tap Privacy. Tap Calls. Turn on Silence unknown callers.

This is not a block. WhatsApp says you can still see silenced calls from unknown callers in the Calls tab and your notifications, but your phone won’t ring, and you can call an unknown caller back from within the Calls tab. If you are expecting a call from someone who is not in your contacts, check there.

One limit to know about: WhatsApp says that if you call or message the silenced caller, you won’t be able to silence their calls in future.

2. Block a sender

According to WhatsApp, you can stop receiving messages, calls and status updates from someone by blocking them.

1. Android: an unknown number

   Open the chat with the unknown sender. Tap more options (three vertical dots), then More, then Block, then Block. Tick the box next to Report to WhatsApp if you want to report the sender too. WhatsApp also lists tapping Block from the “Not a contact” notification, then Block.

2. iPhone: an unknown number

   If this is the first time the sender has contacted you, open the chat and tap Block, then Block. Otherwise tap the chat, then tap the sender, then Block {contact number}, then Block and report or Block.

3. Someone in your contacts

   On Android, tap more options (three vertical dots), then Settings. Tap Privacy, then Blocked contacts, or Privacy, then Contacts, then Blocked accounts. Tap the Add Contact button and select the contact. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture, then Privacy, then Contacts, then Blocked, then Add New... Find and select the contact and tap Block.

What WhatsApp says blocking does, and does not do:

• Blocked contacts or phone numbers will no longer be able to call you or send you messages.
• Your last seen, online, status updates and any changes to your profile photo won’t be visible to senders you have blocked.
• The existing chat remains in your chat list. You can delete it or archive it.
• Blocking a contact won’t remove them from your contacts list, or remove you from the list on their phone.
• It won’t stop that person seeing your messages in a group you are both in, and you will see theirs.
• You can’t block a group. You can exit the group and block the group admin.
• If you unblock someone, you won’t receive anything they sent you during the time they were blocked.

WhatsApp says it can’t tell a person whether someone has blocked them, or who has. Its help page does list signs that may point to it: messages sent to someone who has blocked you show only one grey check mark, calls you attempt to place will not go through, and you can no longer see their last seen or online. It adds that these may also be due to other reasons.

3. Report a sender to WhatsApp

WhatsApp’s help page says you can report someone if you think they are sending problematic content or spam. When you do, it says it receives:

• up to five of the last messages they have sent to you;
• if a call took place, the basic information about the last five calls with this person, such as who initiated the call and how long it lasted;
• the reported group or user ID;
• information about when the message was sent and the type of message, such as an image, video or text.

WhatsApp says the user or group won’t be notified.

1. Android

   Open the chat with the sender you want to report. Tap more options (three vertical dots), then More, then Report. Tick the box if you would also like to block the sender or exit the group and delete the chat. Tap Report.

2. iPhone

   Open the chat with the sender you want to report. Tap the contact name or unknown phone number to see Contact Info. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Report {contact name} or Report {Unknown contact number}, then Report and block or Report.

3. A group

   Open the group and tap the group name. On Android, tap Report group, then Report. On iPhone, tap Report group, then Report and exit or Report. WhatsApp says the last five messages in the chat will be sent to it and no one in the group will know about the report. Its Android page says that if you report a group you’ll be removed from that group, and the group admin will need to invite you again if you want to rejoin.

4. Choose who can add you to groups

WhatsApp says anyone with your phone number can add you to a group, and that by default your group privacy setting is Everyone. To change it:

1. Open the setting

   On Android, tap more options (three vertical dots), then Settings. On iPhone, tap WhatsApp Settings or your profile picture. Then tap Privacy, then Groups.

2. Pick an option

   Everyone: everyone, including people outside your phone’s address book contacts, can add you to groups without your approval. My contacts: only contacts in your phone’s address book can. My contacts except...: only contacts in your address book, except those you exclude. If prompted, tap Done. On iPhone the last two are written My Contacts and My Contacts Except...

This need not cut you off from groups you would want to join. With My contacts chosen, WhatsApp says a group admin who is not in your address book gets a pop-up saying they can’t add you, and is prompted to send a private group invite through an individual chat. You have three days to accept the invite before it expires.

The limits, as WhatsApp states them:

• The setting only applies when someone tries to add you directly. It does not prevent someone from sending you a group invite link, and joining through a link is always your choice.
• It only controls who can add you to new groups in the future. It doesn’t remove you from groups you are already in.
• Exit group only removes you from that one group. It doesn’t stop other people adding you to groups in the future.
• Group privacy settings don’t affect community Announcements.
• You can’t change group privacy settings on WhatsApp Web or Desktop. Change them on your phone and they sync.

If one person repeatedly adds you to groups you don’t want to be part of, WhatsApp suggests choosing My contacts except... and excluding them, or blocking the contact entirely.

5. Limit a flood of messages from unknown accounts

WhatsApp describes Block unknown account messages as an advanced security measure. With it turned on, WhatsApp will block messages from unknown accounts when they exceed a high volume. During that period your contacts can message you as usual, and the blocking stops after message rates return to normal.

1. Android

   Tap more options (three vertical dots), then Settings, then Privacy. Tap Advanced. Turn on Block unknown account messages.

2. iPhone

   Tap Settings or your profile picture, then tap Privacy, then Advanced. Turn on Block unknown account messages.

WhatsApp is clear that this won’t block all unknown messages. For a single unwanted sender, block and report them as above.

6. Protect the account itself

WhatsApp’s first account security tip is never to share your registration code or password with others. It also says that if you receive unrequested emails with a registration code, you should not click on any links or share the code, because someone could be attempting to access your phone number on WhatsApp.

Two-step verification is an optional feature that adds more security to your account. WhatsApp says it is upgrading the 6-digit PIN used in two-step verification to a password.

1. Android

   Tap More (three vertical dots), then Settings, then Account, then Two-step verification. Toggle on Turn on two-step verification. Create a strong password and confirm it. Provide an email address you can access and tap Next, or tap Skip. Tap Trust this device or Skip.

2. iPhone

   Tap You, then Account, then Two-step verification. The remaining steps are the same as on Android.

WhatsApp says turning on its security features can’t restore lost access or remove someone who is already using your account. In those cases it says to recover your account first.

7. If it looks like a scam

WhatsApp’s own advice is to pause and think, then stop the conversation: hang up the call or stop replying. If you can’t verify the contact’s identity, do not share any personal or financial information. Then block the user and report them to WhatsApp.

If you have already shared details or sent money, our scam help page sets out where to go next. For ordinary phone calls and text messages, see the phone calls guide and the spam texts guide.

Related guides

• Make your phone yours again. Register your number, screen unwanted calls and keep the people you want to hear from within reach.
• Fewer texts you never asked for. Know when replying STOP is the right move, when to forward a text to 7726 instead, and how to filter unknown senders on your phone.
• Keep the network. Lose some of the noise. Adjust invitations and messages without giving up the professional connections you value.