Many WhatsApp users are reporting their account got banned for no reason

Update 20/11/24 11:25 am (IST): We’re seeing a sudden surge in the number of reports from people who claim that their WhatsApp accounts are banned without any explanation. Meta is yet to release a statement regarding why their systems are automatically banning accounts without providing any useful information to the users.

Original article published on September 11, 2024, follows:

Many WhatsApp users from different regions have taken to X and Reddit to report that their accounts are getting banned for seemingly no reason at all. Reports seem to have started pouring in roughly a day ago. Affected users are seeing a message stating “This account can no longer use WhatsApp” when they open the app.

Here are some reports from users for reference:

I recently found myself in a frustrating situation where my WhatsApp number was suddenly banned. As far as I know, I haven’t done anything that would violate their terms of service—no spam, no suspicious activity, nothing of that sort. I immediately submitted an appeal to WhatsApp, but I haven’t heard back yet. (Source)

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So my friends account just got ban for no reason, the account doesn’t do any malicious stuff or nsfw stuff, just a regular account and it randomly got ban, she put in a requeat but they said it’ll take up to 24 hours but she really needs access to it right now for some important school and work stuff. (Source)

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Why is my account banned again, 2nd time in 12 hours. @WhatsApp what is going on exactly. We really need a new IM I guess. (Source)

What’s even stranger is that most reports appear to be coming from users with slightly older iPhone models, specifically the iPhone X. Dozens of affected users claim they have an iPhone X. Those who have access to a secondary phone state that they were able to use their WhatsApp accounts after transferring their account to another phone. One individual on Reddit said:

The solution for now is to switch your WhatsApp account to any other phone model and log off completely from this iPhone.

The iPhone X hasn’t received iOS 17 and iOS 18 is coming soon which is probably why Meta / Apple haven’t commented on the issue yet and it may take a moment before they do anything.

Every iPhone X user who gets their account restored should instantly move their WhatsApp account rather than risk being cut off socially again for an unknown period of time. (Source)

Furthermore, it’s not just individual WhatsApp accounts that are affected by this glitch. Even WhatsApp Business users who rely on the service for a living are getting banned in the mix. That said, while a majority of the affected crowd has the iPhone X, there are some reports from those with other iPhones, such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max too. It’s not immediately clear why exactly WhatsApp is blocking certain iPhone users from using the app. Despite the issue affecting a wide audience, Meta is yet to provide any details about the mishap.

Some users, however, claim that they were able to get back their accounts by simply appealing the decision. According to reports, it could take a few hours before WhatsApp lifts the ban. Others have apparently got word from WhatsApp that their account was flagged “accidentally”.

So it seems there’s a silver lining after all. If your WhatsApp account was mistakenly banned, it’s highly likely that it’ll be restored within a few hours. For those who don’t want to wait, you could try transferring your WhatsApp data to another device to see if it helps. Alternatively, you could try reaching out to WhatsApp’s support team for more information.