Lost your phone? Here's how you can recover WhatsApp account

The smartphones, these days, contain so much personal information about us that losing it could be nothing less than a nightmare. From bank information to personal details, smartphones have become our personal treasure trove that we don't want to share with anyone. But you lose it, there's a lot that needs to be done. But first, one of the important things is to make sure no one gets hold of your WhatsApp account. Here's what you can do to keep your account and WhatsApp data safe.

Lock your SIM card

Call your service provider as soon as possible and lock your SIM card. Thereafter, it will not be possible to authenticate the account on that phone again, as you must be able to receive SMS or phone calls to validate an account.

Get a new SIM card 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.

You can also email the phrase "Lost/Stolen: Please deactivate my account" to WhatsApp and include your phone number in full international format.

It's a good habit to create a backup using Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive. This would simplify the restore process whenever you get the new phone or SIM.

Also Read: 5 new WhatsApp features that may be rolled out soon!

One important thing to note is that WhatsApp can be easily operated even when the SIM card is locked or the phone services are disabled. WhatsApp lets you send and receive messages on Wi-Fi. Hence, it's important that you contact WhatsApp with an account deactivation request as soon as possible.

When the WhatsApp account is deactivated, the user account isn't completely deleted and the contacts can still see the profile and send messages. The messages will remain pending for up to 30 days. If you reactivate account before it is deleted, you will receive any pending messages on your new phone and you will be in all of group chats.

Edited By: Udit Verma

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