Tech · Full coverage

WhatsApp Closes Encryption Loophole That Revealed Who Blocked You

How 2 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.

100% right-leaning

Right 2

First reported by Behadrei Haredim · Jun 29, 2026

What happened

WhatsApp has fixed a security flaw that allowed users to confirm if they were blocked by others through encryption verification failures. Meta deployed a server-side update that now shows successful verification even when blocking occurs, restoring user privacy. Users must revert to traditional, less reliable signs to infer blocking.

01WhatsApp patched a flaw that revealed if users were blocked via encryption verification failures.
02Meta deployed a server-side update fixing the issue for all Android and iPhone users immediately.
03The encryption system was never breached, only the verification process was exploited.
04Now, verification shows success even if a block exists, preserving user privacy.
05Users must rely on traditional, less definitive signs to guess if they are blocked.
06Meta aims to keep blocking actions ambiguous to protect user discretion.

Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.

In this story