Your contacts can’t see your WhatsApp status once 24 hours have passed since it was uploaded. Neither can you. But something isn’t right if WhatsApp status is not showing to your contacts even before that time has passed or you can’t see other’s status. I have some simple steps you can follow to fix this annoying problem.
Table of Contents
Before You Begin
Have you tried these:
- Join a different Wi-Fi network or switch to mobile data.
- Make sure their contact details are saved on your phone. Similarly, ask your contacts to save your contact details.
- Make sure contact details are correct. Sometimes, deleting and saving the contact again helps and takes only a minute. You may lose past chats/files so take a backup first.
- WhatsApp recommends saving numbers in international format complete with country code.
- Try WhatsApp Web app in a browser.
- Update WhatsApp app on your smartphone.
- Force stop WhatsApp app or reboot your phone.
1. Check Privacy Settings
WhatsApp has Status privacy settings that determine who can see the Status despite people being in each other’s contact list. If you can’t see someone’s Status updates or someone calls you to complain they can’t see your Status updates, recheck privacy settings once.
To manage privacy settings for WhatsApp Status:
Open WhatsApp, go to Settings > Privacy > Status. You will see three options:
- My Contacts – everyone whose number is saved in your Contacts will see your status updates.
- My Contacts Except – Everyone in your contacts except names added to this list will see your status updates. Add people you don’t want to see updates.
- Only Share With – Only contacts added to this list will see your status updates. One example can be friend list or family list.
Tap on Edit button to add names. Steps for Android and iOS are the same except for some minor UI differences.
Note: Changes to Status privacy settings won’t affect status updates already sent.
2. Check Under Muted Status
You may have muted someone’s status because they were uploading way too many status updates for you. Similarly, someone else may have muted your Status updates for any reason. In such cases, status updates will appear under Muted section.
To check WhatsApp Status updates, go to Updates tab, scroll to the last status update, and tap on Muted to expand to expand it. You will find all muted profiles here that have updated their status in the previous 24 hours. It is fairly easy to unmute someone on WhatsApp.
3. Check Blocked Contact List
Well, you may have blocked their contact or they yours accidentally, while binge drinking, or in a fit of rage. It’s okay. Happens.
To check the blocked contact list:
Open WhatsApp, and go to Settings > Privacy > Blocked to find a list of all the contacts you have blocked so far. Tap to open the contact and select Unblock name/number at the bottom.
Note: Blocked contacts are listed in alphabetical order with those saved in your contact list appearing first.
And that’s it.
Imagine you are at a wedding and someone shares your group photo as a WhatsApp Status but it is not showing up on your Android or iOS smartphones. Frustrating, right? Hopefully, it is fixed now.
Did you know you can create call links on WhatsApp? Learn how to create and share call links on WhatsApp.
