How to delete or deactivate WhatsApp account

It is difficult to imagine a life without WhatsApp. Not just friends, but family is also involved and is one of the best ways to connect with them. It also means too many forwarded and fake messages arriving on your number. If thats what annoys you, we will share how you can delete or deactivate WhatsApp account

Note: Deleting WhatsApp is an irreversible process. It cannot be reverted, and you will lose all your messages.

How to delete or deactivate WhatsApp account

Delete WhatsApp Account

  1. Open WhatsApp App on your phone.
  2. Tap on the three vertical dot menu, and navigate to Settings > Account > Delete my account.
  3. Next, enter your phone number with country code and tap Delete my account.

The process is same on iPhone and Android App.

Do note, that there is no password protection for your WhatsApp account. So anyone who has access to the app can do it. WhatsApp doesn’t even verify through a secondary number. So make sure if you have no intention to remove your WhatsApp, lock it with AppLock or any other password protection app.

What happens after you delete or deactivate WhatsApp account

It will erase your profile, message history, all of your WhatsApp groups and Google Drive or iCloud backup. It also removed the local backup on your phone. Once erased, you cannot regain access to your account. Further, it takes up to  90 days to remove data stored in backup systems. The information is not accessible during this time.

However, WhatsApp keeps a record of some material for legal purposes. The data is useful in case of address fraud or any other illegal activity. Any data which is shared with Facebook is also deleted including personal information.

Unlike other social networks, there is no way to activate whatsapp back on the same number. So make sure when you delete it, you are sure.

About the author

Ashish Mohta

Ashish is an Android, Macbook user who excels in writing tips, tricks, and features on it to improve your day to day experience with your devices.