Tech Reference

How to delete a WhatsApp contact on your mobile device

Written by Steven John
whatsapp
If you delete a contact in WhatsApp, they will also be deleted from your phone. NurPhoto/Getty Images
Read in app

If you're like pretty much all of us, your phone is probably filled with contacts that you've never called or messaged. 

From that handyman who helped fix your bathroom three summers ago, to that friend who moved away and then fell off the face of the earth in 2014, you've probably been confronted by a dozen or more of these pointless contacts every time you open WhatsApp.

Whether based on disuse or dislike, do yourself a favor and delete any WhatsApp contacts you no longer need.

Here's how to do it.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $899.99 at Best Buy)

How to delete a WhatsApp contact

1. Open WhatsApp on your iPhone or Android device, tap "Chats" and then tap the pencil icon in the top-right corner.

2. Tap on the contact to be deleted, then tap on their name at the top of the screen.

3. Tap the word "Edit" at the top-right corner of the screen.

How to delete WhatsApp contact
After you delete a contact, their phone number will replace their names in any existing chats saved in WhatsApp.  Steven John/Business Insider

4. Tap "Delete Contact."

How to delete WhatsApp contact
Deleting a contact will not block them from messaging you; if you want to block someone on WhatsApp, it's better to block the contact than delete it.  Steven John/Business Insider

5. Tap "Delete Contact" in the pop-up window again to confirm.

Another option is to simply delete the unwanted contact from your phone, which will remove them from WhatsApp as well.

 

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

Read next

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Headshot of Steven John
Steven John
Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.