In the unfortunate case that your phone gets lost or stolen, it is highly advisable and recommended that you secure your account so that no one can use your WhatsApp account.
- As soon as possible you should call your mobile provider to lock your SIM card. Then, it will not be possible to verify the account on that phone again as you need to be able to receive SMS or phone calls to verify an account.
- After you have locked the SIM in your stolen phone, you can use a new SIM with the same number to activate WhatsApp on your new phone. This is the fastest way to deactivate your account on the stolen phone. WhatsApp can only be activated with one phone number on one device at a time.
- If you are not ready to activate WhatsApp on a new phone with the same number we can deactivate your account. Email us with your phone number in the full international format as described here. Please note that we are not able to help you locate your phone. Remote WhatsApp deactivation from another device is not possible.
Important: Even with the SIM card locked and phone service disabled, WhatsApp can be used on Wi-Fi if you do not contact us with an account deactivation request.
More important details about deactivated accounts
- When your account is deactivated, it is not completely deleted.
- While your account is deactivated:
- Your name is still on your contacts’ Favorites / Select Contact lists.
- Your contacts can send you messages, which will remain in a pending state for up to 30 days.
- If you reactivate your account before it is deleted, you will receive any pending messages on your new phone and you will still be in all of your group chats.
- If a deactivated account is not re-activated within 30 days, it will be completely deleted.
Note: Since your chat history is stored on your device, your previous messages cannot be retrieved.
