I unfortunately have to use WhatsApp in my country to meet basic needs. I used my account for almost two years, and suddenly it was blocked a few days ago. I submitted a review saying it must be a mistake, and then they unblocked my account with a 30‑day restriction that prevents me from initiating new chats. After three days, when I started a conversation with an “existing” business contact, my account was blocked again. The reason given was that my account was sending “spam.” It’s ironic because I’m the person who sends the fewest messages to anyone on WhatsApp.

I don’t care that a private company blocked me. What bothers me is that they have turned themselves into a centralized messaging monopoly where no one can leave the network. If users leave the network or get banned, their lives are disrupted for months.

I assume my ban might be because I’m using GrapheneOS. Is anyone else seeing a random ban on their WhatsApp account?