Banned from WhatsApp? There's a new appeals process on the way

WhatsApp
(Image credit: Alex Ruhl / Shutterstock.com)

WhatsApp are working on an appeals process on iOS to help un-ban your account if needed, making it much easier for you.

Getting banned from any platform can be a serious pain. If you're blocked from using social media for some reason – perhaps posting something inappropriate – it is annoying, but getting kicked off a messaging app can be seriously inconvenient.

WhatsApp has become stricter in enforcing its rules in recent times, and this means that more and more people are finding they have been slapped with a ban. But the company sometimes gets it wrong, and banned users understandably want to appeal. This process is going to be made a great deal easier.

The latest beta version of WhatsApp for iOS shows that the company is working on an easy-to-use in-app ban review option. While this is currently only visible in the iPhone app, it is expected to also make an appearance in the Android version – after all, it would be strange for the two platforms to have different approaches to ban appeals.

If your WhatsApp account is hit with a ban, a new option in the app is on the way. By tapping the new Request a Review option it will be possible to provide any details you think WhatsApp need to know about your account activity, and then you can submit the review for the company to investigate.

Review and restore

WhatsApp will take a closer look at your account activity. It may determine that the ban was issued in error, perhaps because automated systems incorrectly identified spam-like activity. If this is the case, you will be notified that your account has been restored and then guided through the process of verifying it before you get back up and running,

If, however, WhatsApp determines that the ban was the correct decision – perhaps for posting illegal content, or violating terms of service in another way – you'll be informed of this and invited to register a new number.

Of course, all WhatsApp users hope to never be hit with the ban hammer, but it is good to know that if it strikes, the appeals process is being made as painless as possible.

Via WABetaInfo

TOPICS
Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
Freelance writer

Sofia is a tech journalist who's been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.

Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.

Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.

You can find her on Twitter and Mastodon.

Read more
A smartphone on a sofa showing the WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal apps
Forget AI – WhatsApp is planning a simple messages feature that could be its most useful upgrade in years
WhatsApp China VPN
WhatsApp's new new music status updates take me back to my MySpace and MSN Messenger days
WhatsApp
WhatsApp looks set to get an AI makeover soon – here's what could be coming
Bangalore, India - October, 10, 2024: Close up image of WhatsApp logo on a windows desktop running windows 11. Windows on Desktop.
How to use WhatsApp on desktop
Flag of Iran on a computer binary codes falling from the top and fading away
Iran eases some internet restrictions – but the usage of VPN-like tools is still high
CapCut logo on a black and red background
CapCut hit by US ban – and in completely unrelated news, Instagram has just revealed a new video-editing app
Latest in Email & Messaging
Gmail at 20
No joke, Gmail is 20 and we're probably better for it
Google introduced Gmail to the public on April 1, 2004, leading many to believe it was an April Fools' Day prank
Google's next AI update for Gmail could let you ask it to write emails with your voice
A laptop screen on an orange background showing the Gmail logo and an inbox
Final warning: it’s your last chance to save your old Gmail account from deletion
A phone showing WhatsApp video calling on a pink background
WhatsApp video calls get handy screen-sharing feature – here's how to use it
Gmail
Watch out Google users – your account could get deleted if it’s not used
Google Chat messaging friends
Google wants to make its Chat app a lot more personal by copying WhatsApp
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con up-close from app store
Nintendo's new app gave us another look at the Switch 2, and there's something different with the Joy-Con
cheap Nintendo Switch game deals sales
Nintendo didn't anticipate that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was 'going to be the juggernaut' for the Nintendo Switch when it was ported to the console, according to former employees
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker
Amazon is experimenting with renaming Echo speakers to Alexa speakers, and it's about time
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does