Sometimes when your phone gets lost or stolen, then also you will not be able to access your WhatsApp. Although recovering WhatsApp account is very easy but things can get worse if you don’t have access to your registered phone number or when the hacker has added a two-step verification PIN code for login.
Don’t worry, there is still a ray of hope that you can get back your hacked WhatsApp account safely. To make things easier for you, we have divided this tutorial in various steps and then explained every single step in detail. Before we start, you might be interested to read our article on how to keep your WhatsApp account secure from hackers.
Table of Contents
1. Deactivate your WhatsApp account via email
As soon as you get to know that your WhatsApp has been hacked, the first thing you need to do is deactivate your account. This can be done by sending an email to the WhatsApp support team. Simply, open the Gmail app on your phone and create a new email.
Enter “Lost/Stolen: Please deactivate my account” in the subject and body of the email. Make sure to add your phone number in the subject along with the country code before it like this: +91 9XXXXXXXXXX. Here +91 is the country code of India. Replace it with your own country code if you are outside India.
You can add further details in the email body such as how your WhatsApp got hacked, when it happened, etc. Finally, send the email at support@whatsapp.com email address. You have to add this email address in the To field of the email. Once upon receiving your request, the WhatsApp support team will automatically deactivate your account. As a result, the hacker will be logged out from your account.
What happens when you deactivate your account
Here are a few things you need to know about deactivating your WhatsApp account –
- Your profile will not be deleted, which means your contacts can still see your profile picture, and about (bio).
- The new messages that you will receive in the time period when your account is deactivated, they will remain in a pending state for up to 30 days.
- Upon reactivating your account, you will receive any pending messages on your phone.
- If you don’t reactivate your account within 30 days, WhatsApp will delete it completely.
2. Buy a new SIM card (if your phone is lost/stolen)
If your phone number is already with you, then skip this step. On the other hand, if you don’t have access to your phone number which is registered with WhatsApp (for example, in case if your phone is lost or stolen), then first you need to block your phone number immediately by calling on your company’s customer care support.
After that, you have to buy a new SIM card with the same phone number. Only then you will be able to recover your WhatsApp account completely. You can buy a new SIM card from your nearby network provider store. They will also ask you to give some ID proof such as your aadhar card for verification. Once you have got your new SIM activated, follow the next step.
3. Recover your hack WhatsApp account
Now you just need to sign in to WhatsApp to recover your account. Simply, open WhatsApp on your phone and enter your phone number. After that, you have to verify it by entering the 6-digit OTP (one time password) verification code that you will receive via SMS. Once it is verified, you can also restore your chats. For more information on this, read our guide on how to backup and restore WhatsApp chats.
4. Logout from WhatsApp Web devices
After recovering your WhatsApp account, make sure to check the WhatsApp Web active sessions. It is possible that the hacker still has access to your account via WhatsApp Web. To check this, click three dots at the top-right corner and then click WhatsApp Web option. Here you will find all your active sessions (if there is any). Click the “Logout from all devices” option. This will automatically logout your WhatsApp account from all active sessions.
Is WhatsApp asking for verification code?
Sometimes when you sign in to your WhatsApp account, it asks for verification PIN code. If you don’t know about this code, then it is possible that the hacker has enabled two-step verification on your account.
In this case, you have to wait for 7 days. Only after that, you will be able to sign in to your account without the two-step verification code. As you have deactivated your account, the hacker will also not be able to re-login without the OTP verification PIN.
So that’s how you can recover your hacked WhatsApp account easily. We have tried our best to explain everything in the most simplest way. If you still have any question in your mind or facing any problem, feel free to ask it in the comment section below. Liked this post? Share it with your friends.
