After WhatsApp updated its privacy policy, it may be time to delete your WhatsApp account. Especially if you’re the type who wants to keep his or her data private.
The messaging app added a new mandate that gives it permission to share account data collected to Facebook and related companies. The new policy will take effect on February 8, 2021. And you would either have to accept it to continue using the messaging app or delete your account.
Should you take the first option and accept the new terms, then Facebook and related companies will not only have access to your account information, but also usage and log information, transaction and payments data, other information on how you interact with others, and more.
But if you decide to keep your data private and secure, then the other option is to delete your account. And here’s how you can do it.
How to delete your WhatsApp account
- On your smartphone, open WhatsApp.
- Tap the three dots on the top right corner to open the menu.
- Go to Settings> Account> Delete my account.
- Enter your mobile phone number. Ex. +639201234567.
- Tap Delete my account. Select the reason why you’re deleting your account.
- Tap Delete my account one last time.
Take note that deleting your WhatsApp account will have the following effects:
- Delete your account from WhatsApp.
- Erase your message history.
- Delete you from all of your WhatsApp groups.
- Delete your Google Drive backup.
WhatsApp says it may take up to 90 days for them to fully delete all your account information. After deleting your account, you can proceed to delete the WhatsApp app from your phone.
