If you received an in-app message stating your account is “Temporarily banned” this means that you're likely using an unsupported version of WhatsApp instead of the official WhatsApp app or are suspected of harvesting information in unacceptable ways, also known as scraping. If you don't switch to the official app or stop engaging in scraping after being temporarily banned, your account might be permanently banned from using WhatsApp.

Scraping is the extraction of information, both targeted and at scale, using an automated or manual tool for any unpermitted purposes. The acquisition of user information in this way, including phone numbers, user profile pictures, and statuses from WhatsApp violates our Terms of Service.

Unsupported apps, such as WhatsApp Plus, GB WhatsApp, or apps that claim to move your WhatsApp chats between phones, are altered versions of WhatsApp. These unofficial apps are developed by third parties and violate our Terms of Service. WhatsApp doesn't support these third-party apps because we can't validate their security practices.

How to switch to the official WhatsApp app

You might need to backup your chat history before moving to the official WhatsApp app. The name of the unsupported app you're using determines whether you need to transfer your chat history. Locate the name of the app by tapping More Options > Settings > Help > App info. Follow the steps below based on the name of the app: WhatsApp Plus or GB WhatsApp.

For Android users, if you're using an app like WhatsApp Plus or GB WhatsApp, we recommend saving your chat history before downloading the official WhatsApp app.

GB WhatsApp

We recommend following the steps below to save and transfer your chat history. Failure to follow these steps could result in lost chat history. Please note that we can't guarantee this will be a successful chat history transfer because WhatsApp doesn't support unofficial apps.

1. Wait for your temporary ban to end. The timer will show you the length of the ban.
2. In GB WhatsApp, tap More options > Chats > Back up chats.
3. Go to Phone Settings > tap Storage > Files.
4. Find the folder GB WhatsApp and tap and hold to select it.
5. In the upper right corner tap More > Rename and rename the folder to “WhatsApp”.
6. Navigate to the Play Store and download the official WhatsApp app. If you can't access the Play Store, download the app here.
7. In WhatsApp, verify your phone number. Learn how to verify in this article.
8. On the Backup found screen, tap Restore > Next.
9. WhatsApp should load with your existing chats.

WhatsApp Plus

If your chat history was previously saved, it should automatically transfer to the official WhatsApp app. Learn how to save your chat history in our Help Center.

1. Navigate to the Play Store and download the WhatsApp app. If you can't access the Play Store, download the app here.
2. Verify your phone number. Learn how to verify in this article.

Resources

• If you're using the official WhatsApp app and your account is banned, refer to this article.
• Learn more about how to use WhatsApp responsibly in this article.
• Learn more about scraping in this article.