The WhatsApp platform is one of the most widely used social media messaging apps. It’s so easy to use and its services are free of charge, except for the cost of internet access. 

With a stable internet connection, you can enjoy messaging, calling, and pictures or video-sharing services anytime, anywhere. 

WhatsApp offers a range of functions for the convenience, safety, and enjoyment of its users, among which is the “mute function” which allows users to pause conversations with a particular person, but not to cut them off completely i.e. block them. 

In this article, I will explain the different ways to know if someone has muted you, including observing their phone (if it is within your reach); sending them a message, calling them, and analyzing their last seen timestamp. 

What happens when you mute someone on WhatsApp?

When you mute someone on WhatsApp, you will no longer receive notifications when that person sends you messages.

However, you will still be able to view their status updates and their profile picture, unless you mute those separately. 

Muting on WhatsApp is a temporary option to help you keep unwanted users from bothering you, or even cut off destruction for a few hours or days. 

You may be wondering if someone has muted you for some reason, or you may want to mute someone and you are wondering if they can tell that you have muted them. Either way, there are ways to know if someone muted you on WhatsApp. 

Why mute someone?

Relief; Sometimes messages can get overwhelming, and notifications from especially specific people or groups may nag. So to get some relief from all the nagging you may want to mute a particular user.

This way, you won’t be bothered by the sounds and buzzing that alert you about incoming messages from that user.

Concentration; You may need to concentrate on a project or an assignment. With constant messaging from friends or family, it may be hard to concentrate. So it is wise to silence those for a while by muting chats.

How to tell if someone muted you on WhatsApp

It can be challenging to know if you have been muted by a friend or colleague on WhatsApp, but no worries, there are things you can try to get your answer. 

1. Check the person’s phone and response

If you are around the person you suspect has muted you, you can; 

Observe for notifications; this works only if you are physically near the person and/or their phone. You make sure you can see the screen of the person’s phone, then send a WhatsApp message and observe if any notifications appear on their screen or if there is any vibration to signal a new message. 

If the message shows sent on your end but no notifications pop up from the receiver’s screen then they have muted you. 

Observe for mute icon; you have the advantage of actually seeing and confirming if you have been muted if you have access to the person’s phone. This might be tricky depending on the circumstances and your situation. 

Well, let’s say you can access the phone, open the person’s WhatsApp and go to chats. Observe the list of chats and see if you can spot the mute icon on the right side of your name. 

Also Read: How To Get Notification When Someone Is Online On WhatsApp

This is the most sure way of telling if you have been muted. 

However, in most cases you may have doubts but can not access the person’s phone to look out for notifications and the mute icon, here are other ways you can tell if you have been muted. 

Send a message and watch for a response; you can try sending a message to the person you suspect muted you and see if they respond. If the message shows the double ticks (meaning it is delivered), but there is no response, it may indicate that the person muted you. 

However, it is also possible that someone just ignores the message, and does not open it even if they have not muted you.

If you are sending a message to someone you typically know who responds to messages within a short time, then a no response from them may mean that they muted you. 

Also Read: How To Track A Scammer On WhatsApp

2. Check the last seen timestamp

You can analyze the last seen timestamp of the receiver in comparison to the time you sent the message. If your message was delivered earlier than the person’s last seen timestamp then they’ve probably not seen your message because they muted you. 

3. Check online appearance and response

To tell if you have been muted, you can watch for an online appearance of the user and send them a message while they are online. A double grey tick will indicate that the message has been delivered, but if there is no response then, you may have been muted. 

4. Send a voice message and watch for a response 

You can try to send a voice message to the number and see if they respond. If the message is delivered and shows that it is listened to, but still no reply, it is then likely that the user muted you. 

Make a WhatsApp call; if you are really eager to confirm whether you’ve been blocked, you can try to make either a voice or video call. Even if the person has muted you, your call will show up on their screen and they should be able to receive it. 

If they don’t receive the call then possibly they are not able to or willing to communicate with you and therefore it’s possible that they muted you. 

Also Read: How To Know If Your WhatsApp Is Hacked

FAQs

Q. How can I block someone on WhatsApp?

A. Here is what you can do to block a user on WhatsApp:- 

Open the chat with the user you want to block, On the chat page, tap the space where the name and last seen status are, this should display the contact details and a menu. scroll down and tap block 

Alternatively, you can go to Settings by tapping the 3-dot mark on the top right of your WhatsApp, tap Privacy, and then go to blocked contacts. 

This will allow you to see all the people you have blocked (if any), then you can tap the add contact icon on the top right, search through the list of contacts, and tap on the user you wish to block. Done!

Q. How can I know if someone blocked me on WhatsApp? 

A. If you suspect that your contact blocked you and you would like to be sure, you can; 

Check the last seen status, if you can not see the last seen status, then high chances are that the person has blocked you.

Check message delivery – try to send a message to the contact, if it shows only one tick then it has not been delivered, this could be an indication that you have been blocked.

View the profile picture – try to check the profile picture, if it disappears then you are most likely blocked. 

Call the contact – you can try to make a WhatsApp call to the person you suspect has blocked you. If the call does not go through, you are likely blocked. 

Add the user to a group chat –  another way to find out if you have been blocked is to try and add the suspected user to a group chat, if this is not possible then it is likely that this user has blocked you.

However, It is important to note that WhatsApp allows users to disable the ‘last seen’ and the ‘online’ status if they choose to, also users can disable voice calls. Hence, the indicators above are not outright conclusive, these are just pointers that could mean more than a block.  

Conclusion 

Being suspicious and anxiously wondering if a loved one muted you on WhatsApp is not a pleasant experience. 

There aren’t many certain ways to establish that someone has muted you because the company has kept most functions vague to offer users privacy and protection. 

But you can try one or more of the above tips in this article and you may be able to confirm.