While many people remember to lock their SIM card if their phone is stolen or lost, many forget to protect their WhatsApp account.
Smartphones hold lots of crucial information these days. Losing a phone or getting it stolen unaware is the worst nightmare one can have. Photos, contacts and important documents in your phone are personal and you don’t want anyone to get access to them. Moreover, your WhatsApp chats are also a gateway to lot of information.
Here are the steps that you should follow to protect your WhatsApp account if your phone is stolen or lost
- Lock your SIM card
The first step to follow after losing your phone is to call your mobile provider. It is important to inform your mobile network provider so that no other person uses your number to make calls or messages.
- Activate WhatsApp on new phone
The fastest way to deactivate WhatsApp account on your lost or stolen phone is to activate your WhatsApp account using the new SIM card with the same number. This will disable WhatsApp on your older phone as the social app works only on one device at a time.
- Email WhatsApp
You can also send an email to WhatsApp by mentioning that you have lost access to your phone and you want your WhatsApp account to be deactivated. Make sure to add your contact number in international format so WhatsApp team can contact you if need be.
- Restore chat history
You can restore your WhatsApp messages and media by restoring chat back up from Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive if you activated auto back up.
Notably, WhatsApp account is not completely deleted when you deactivate it. All contacts saved in the phone will still be able to see your profile picture.
They can send messages which will remain pending for up to 30 days.
If you want to receive these messages, you have to reactivate your account before 30 days. It is important to note that WhatsApp account deletion will not imply that you will exit all WhatsApp group chats.
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 "Here’s how to protect your WhatsApp account after losing your phone")
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