Last Updated on
The WhatsApp messaging app has come under scrutiny for its new security and privacy policies since its purchase by Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Users are also worried that their information is being shared with other Facebook companies. WhatsApp has even run into legal issues due to violations of the EU’s privacy laws. It has caused many users to jump ship and switch to alternative messaging services like Signal and Telegram. If you want to know how to permanently delete your WhatsApp account then keep on reading this article.
Do bear in mind that simply deleting WhatsApp from your phone will still cause your account to be active and all of your data will still be stored on WhatsApp’s servers.
What happens when you permanently delete your WhatsApp account?
When you decide to permanently delete WhatsApp the following things will occur:
- All message history will be deleted.
- You will be removed from all group chats.
- Your backups will be deleted.
- Your phone number will no longer be associated with your account.
- You will be removed from your friend’s WhatsApp contacts list.
Once you delete your account it cannot be recovered and the whole process can take up to 90 days to completely delete all data from their servers. Data shared with other Meta-owned companies will be deleted too.
Back up WhatsApp Data
Before you permanently delete your account you will want to create WhatsApp backups. the process differs slightly for iOS/iPhone and Android devices. We have a guide on how to create a WhatsApp backup, so read that article and complete the steps.
How To Permanently Delete WhatsApp Account
Deleting WhatsApp is permanent and cannot be reversed so make sure that you are certain before following the steps below.
How To Permanently Delete WhatsApp Account – Android
To begin the deletion process on an Android smartphone complete these steps:
Step
How To Permanently Delete WhatsApp Account – Android
-
- Open Whatsapp.
- Press the three-dotted icon.
- Select Settings.
- Tap on Account.
- At the bottom of the list will be ‘ Deleter my account’.
- Enter your mobile phone number in full international format and press ‘Delete my account’.
This will delete your Google Drive backup too, so all data will be lost.
How To Permanently Delete WhatsApp Account -iOS/iPhone
To permanently delete your WhatsApp account on iOS/iPhone complete the following:
Step
How To Permanently Delete WhatsApp Account -iOS/iPhone
-
- Launch WhatsApp.
- Tap on setting in the bottom right corner.
- Select Account.
- At the bottom of the list choose ‘Delete my account’
- Enter your mobile phone number in full international format.
- Press ‘Delete my account’.
This will delete your iCloud backup too, so all data will be lost.
Uninstall or Deactivate WhatsApp
If you don’t want to permanently delete your WhatsApp account then we suggest that you deactivate your WhatsApp account. This can be done by sending an email to WhatsApp.
The email format is as follows:
Address: support@whatsapp.com
Subject: Lost/Stolen: Please deactivate my account
Body: Lost/Stolen: Please deactivate my account [Full international format phone number]
Additionally, you could uninstall WhatsApp from your phone, this will remove the app and all of its data from your phone but won’t permanently delete your WhatsApp account. This means if you choose to you can reinstall WhatsApp and restore your chat backup.
Final Thoughts
A deleted Whatsapp account is a great way to ensure that all data collected and shared by Meta about your WhatsApp account gets removed. Do note that this process is not reversible so you must be sure when you start the process.