If you received an in-app message saying your account is “Temporarily banned”, this means that you’re likely using an unofficial version of WhatsApp, or that you might be harvesting information, which is known as scraping. If you don’t switch to the official app or stop engaging in scraping after being temporarily banned, your account might be permanently banned from using WhatsApp.
Unofficial WhatsApp apps
Unauthorized WhatsApp applications put your security and safety at risk, and we don’t support them.
Here’s what might happen if you use them:
- There’s no guarantee your messages or your data, like your location or the files you share, will be private and secure.
- Your account may be banned because using unofficial Whatsapp apps is against our Terms of Service.
To make sure you have access to WhatsApp, confirm your number again on our official app which you can download from our website: www.whatsapp.com/download.
Scraping
Scraping is the automated extraction of information for any unpermitted purposes. Acquiring user information in this way, including phone numbers, user profile pictures, and statuses from WhatsApp violates our Terms of Service.
