How do you unblock somebody?

Unblocking someone you previously blocked on social media or messaging apps is usually pretty straightforward. Here are some quick answers to common questions about unblocking:

Why would you want to unblock someone?

There are a few main reasons you may want to unblock someone:

You blocked them impulsively or in the heat of the moment and now regret it

Enough time has passed that you’re no longer upset with them
You need to get back in touch with them for practical reasons
You want to reconnect with an old friend or family member

You blocked them by accident and didn’t mean to block them at all

Does the blocked person know you blocked them?

Whether the blocked person is notified about being blocked depends on the platform:

On Facebook and Messenger, the blocked person is not notified or alerted that they have been blocked.

On Instagram, the blocked person is not notified initially, but if they try to access your profile or message you, they will see they have been blocked.
On WhatsApp, the blocked person is immediately made aware that you have blocked them.
On Twitter, the blocked person is not notified directly, but they will be unable to view your tweets or interact with your account in any way.

How do you unblock someone on Facebook?

To unblock someone on Facebook:

Go to your Facebook profile and click on the three-dot menu in the top right.
Select “Settings & Privacy” then click on “Settings.”

Click on “Blocking” in the left menu.
You will see a list of all users you have blocked. Find the person you want to unblock and click “Unblock” next to their name.
That’s it! They are now unblocked and will be able to interact with you and see your profile as normal.

How do you unblock on Instagram?

Here are the steps to unblock someone on Instagram:

Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture in the bottom right.
Tap the three line menu button in the top right and go to “Settings.”

Tap “Privacy” then “Blocked Accounts.”
Find the user you want to unblock and tap “Unblock.”
Confirm that you want to unblock the user by tapping “Unblock” again.

That’s all there is to it! They will now be unblocked from your Instagram account.

How can you unblock someone on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp makes it easy to unblock contacts:

Open WhatsApp and go to your profile by tapping the three dot menu in the top right.

Select “Settings” then choose “Account.”
Go to “Privacy” and tap on “Blocked contacts.”
Tap “Unblock” next to the contact you want to unblock.

The user will now be removed from your blocked contacts list and you will be able to message and call them as normal.

How do you unblock someone on Twitter?

To unblock a user on Twitter:

Go to your Twitter profile and click “More” in the left menu.

Click on “Settings and privacy.”
Select “Privacy and safety” then click “Blocked accounts.”
Find the user you want to unblock and click “Unblock.”

Confirm that you want to unblock the user.

This will remove them from your blocked list and allow them to follow you and see your tweets again.

Can you unblock someone secretly?

On most platforms, there is no way to secretly unblock someone:

On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter the previously blocked person will know they have been unblocked as they regain access to your profile and posts.
On WhatsApp, the unblocked contact receives an automatic notification that they have been unblocked.

The only way to unblock someone without them knowing is to block them from a secondary account they are not aware of. But in most cases, the person will realize they have been unblocked if you are interacting with them again.

What happens when you unblock someone?

Here is what happens when you unblock someone on major platforms:

Platform	What Happens When Unblocked
Facebook	They can see your profile, posts, and stories again. They can also message you, tag you, and invite you to events.
Instagram	They can view your posts and stories again. They can also message you, tag you, and interact with your content.
WhatsApp	They are immediately notified they have been unblocked. Full messaging capabilities are restored.
Twitter	They can follow you, view all your tweets, and interact with your content again.

Can you re-block someone after unblocking them?

Yes, you can re-block someone after choosing to unblock them. The steps to re-block are the same as the initial blocking process:

On Facebook and Instagram, go to your privacy settings to access the list of blocked accounts and block them again.

On WhatsApp, go to blocked contacts and select block again next to their name.
On Twitter, go to blocked accounts and click block next to their profile.

You can repeat this process as often as you want. There is no limit to how many times you can block and unblock someone.

Will unblocking cause the contact to reappear in your friends/followers list?

Unblocking someone does not automatically add them back as a friend or follower. Here is what happens on each platform:

On Facebook, they will not be re-added as a friend when unblocked. You’ll have to send a new friend request.
On Instagram, they will not automatically follow you again. They would have to choose to refollow you.

On WhatsApp, they revert to being a normal contact. Your chat history remains intact.
On Twitter, they will not automatically refollow you when unblocked. They would have to choose to follow you again.

Can you tell if someone has unblocked you?

In most cases, you will be able to tell if you have been unblocked by someone else:

On Facebook, you will once again be able to view their profile, posts, and stories if you were previously blocked.
On Instagram, you will be able to see their profile and posts if previously blocked.
On WhatsApp, you receive an automatic notification when unblocked by someone.

On Twitter, you can view their profile and tweets again if you were previously blocked.

So in general, yes – it is fairly straightforward to know if someone has chosen to unblock you, reversing a previous block.

Conclusion

Unblocking someone is a quick and simple process on most major social media platforms. In general, the previously blocked person will be made aware that they have been unblocked, usually immediately. Unblocking does not recreate the previous friendship or following status – that requires additional actions like sending a new friend request or choosing to refollow the person.

Unblocking makes the user’s posts and profile visible again and reopens channels of communication. It can be the first step to reconciling with someone after a disagreement or just letting go of hard feelings. But if things still feel unresolved, you always have the option to re-block that person at any time.

With social media being such a prevalent part of life, blocking and unblocking can sometimes occur in the heat of the moment. Thankfully the major platforms make it straightforward to reverse a blocking decision when you have a change of heart or want to give someone a second chance.