How to Prevent Personal Messages from Appearing in Your CRM

Learn how to use the whatsnap-blacklist tag to prevent personal messages from appearing in your GoHighLevel CRM when using personal accounts for WhatSnap.

When using your personal phone number or warm personal account with WhatSnap for SMS, you may want to keep certain personal conversations private and prevent them from syncing to your GoHighLevel CRM.

Privacy Solution: Use the whatsnap-blacklist tag to exclude specific contacts from GoHighLevel sync. Messages with these contacts will only appear on your device, not in your CRM.

Why Use Personal Accounts for Business?

Benefits of Using Warm Personal Accounts

Higher Initial Volume:

  • ✅ Personal accounts already have sending history/reputation

  • ✅ Can start with higher message volumes immediately

  • ✅ No need for extensive warm-up period

  • ✅ Carriers recognize established patterns

Better Deliverability:

  • ✅ Aged accounts have trust with carriers

  • ✅ Lower risk of being flagged as spam

  • ✅ Existing contact relationships appear natural

  • ✅ Message content looks more authentic

Faster Campaign Launch:

  • ✅ Skip the 2-week warm-up process

  • ✅ Start database reactivation campaigns sooner

  • ✅ Maintain existing contact trust

  • ✅ Leverage established phone number reputation

The Privacy Challenge

Problem: When using personal accounts for business:

  • ❌ All messages sync to GoHighLevel by default

  • ❌ Personal conversations with friends/family appear in CRM

  • ❌ Private messages become visible to team members

  • ❌ Clutters your CRM with non-business contacts

  • ❌ Privacy concerns for personal contacts

Solution: The whatsnap-blacklist tag solves this!

How the Blacklist Tag Works

What is whatsnap-blacklist?

whatsnap-blacklist is a special tag in GoHighLevel that tells WhatSnap to exclude specific contacts from CRM synchronization.

When you add this tag to a contact:

  • 🚫 Messages FROM that contact will NOT sync to GoHighLevel

  • 🚫 Messages TO that contact will NOT sync to GoHighLevel

  • ✅ Conversations remain only on your device (native Messages app)

  • ✅ Contact won't be auto-created in GHL

  • ✅ Works across ALL WhatSnap channels (SMS, WhatsApp, iMessage)

Universal Channel Support

Multi-Channel Privacy: The whatsnap-blacklist tag works across all WhatSnap messaging channels, not just SMS. It protects your privacy on WhatsApp and iMessage too.

Blacklist applies to:

  • ✅ SMS (Android SMS via WhatSnap)

  • ✅ iMessage (iPhone/Mac messaging)

  • ✅ WhatsApp (personal WhatsApp accounts)

One tag, complete privacy across all platforms.

Setting Up Message Blacklist

Step 1: Identify Personal Contacts

Who should be blacklisted?

Definitely blacklist:

  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family members

  • 👫 Friends and personal relationships

  • 🏥 Doctor, dentist, personal service providers

  • 🏦 Personal banking and financial contacts

  • 🔐 Any contact you want to keep private

Don't blacklist:

  • 💼 Business contacts and leads

  • 🛍️ Customers and clients

  • 🤝 Business partners and vendors

  • 📊 Anyone relevant to your CRM tracking

Step 2: Add Blacklist Tag in GoHighLevel

You have two options for applying the blacklist tag:

Option A: Add to Existing Contact

If contact already exists in GoHighLevel:

1

Open the Contact

  1. Log in to GoHighLevel

  2. Navigate to Contacts

  3. Search for the contact you want to blacklist

  4. Click to open their contact record

2

Add the Tag

  1. In the contact record, find the Tags section

  2. Click "Add Tag" or the tag field

  3. Type: whatsnap-blacklist (exact spelling, all lowercase)

  4. Press Enter or click to add the tag

  5. Save the contact

Spelling Matters: The tag must be exactly whatsnap-blacklist (with the hyphen, all lowercase). Other variations won't work.

3

Verify Tag is Applied

  1. Refresh the contact page

  2. Verify whatsnap-blacklist appears in the tags list

  3. Tag should have a distinct color (depends on your GHL tag settings)

Option B: Pre-Create Contact with Blacklist Tag

If contact doesn't exist in GHL yet:

1

Create New Contact

  1. In GoHighLevel, go to Contacts

  2. Click "Add Contact" or "Create Contact"

  3. Enter contact information:

    • First name

    • Last name

    • Phone number

    • Email (optional)

2

Add Blacklist Tag Immediately

  1. Before saving, scroll to Tags section

  2. Add tag: whatsnap-blacklist

  3. Click "Save Contact"

3

Result

  • Contact exists in GHL (for your reference)

  • But messages with this contact won't sync

  • Useful for keeping a directory of personal contacts without syncing conversations

Step 3: Test the Blacklist

Verify the blacklist tag is working correctly:

1

Send Test Message

  1. On your phone (native Messages app), send a text to a blacklisted contact

  2. Wait for them to reply

2

Check GoHighLevel

  1. Log in to GoHighLevel

  2. Navigate to Conversations

  3. Search for messages with that contact

Expected result:

  • ❌ Message should NOT appear in GHL conversations

  • ❌ Contact's conversation thread should NOT sync

3

Check Your Device

  1. Open native Messages app on your Android device

  2. Find conversation with blacklisted contact

Expected result:

  • ✅ Messages appear normally on your device

  • ✅ Full conversation history visible

  • ✅ You can reply normally from Messages app

Working Correctly: Messages stay on your device only, completely private from your CRM.

Managing Blacklisted Contacts

Bulk Blacklisting Multiple Contacts

If you have many personal contacts to blacklist:

1

Create a List or Segment

  1. In GoHighLevel, create a Smart List or Tag

  2. Add all personal contacts to this list

  3. Name it something like "Personal - Do Not Sync"

2

Bulk Apply Tag

  1. Select all contacts in your personal list

  2. Use Bulk Actions → Add Tag

  3. Add whatsnap-blacklist to all selected contacts

  4. Confirm bulk action

3

Verify

Check a few random contacts to ensure tag was applied correctly.

Removing Blacklist (Re-Enable Sync)

If you want a contact to start syncing again:

1

Open Contact in GHL

  1. Navigate to the contact's record

  2. Find the Tags section

2

Remove Blacklist Tag

  1. Click the X or remove icon next to whatsnap-blacklist tag

  2. Save the contact

3

Future Messages Sync

  • ✅ New messages (going forward) will sync to GHL

  • ❌ Old messages (before removal) won't retroactively sync

  • Only future conversations appear in CRM

Best Practices

Recommended Setup for Personal + Business Use

If using personal device for both:

1. Blacklist Personal Contacts Proactively

  • Add whatsnap-blacklist tag BEFORE any messaging

  • Prevents accidental sync of personal messages

  • Easier to blacklist upfront than clean up later

2. Create Contact Categories

  • Personal tag + whatsnap-blacklist tag

  • Business tag (no blacklist)

  • VIP tag for important business contacts

  • Makes filtering and management easier

3. Review Regularly

  • Monthly review of blacklisted contacts

  • Add new personal contacts as needed

  • Remove business contacts accidentally blacklisted

4. Team Training

  • If team has GHL access, train them on blacklist tag

  • Explain it's for privacy, not to be removed

  • Consider restricting tag removal permissions

Alternative: Use Dedicated Business Device

Cleanest Separation: While the blacklist tag works great, the absolute best practice is using a dedicated business phone/SIM for WhatSnap to completely separate personal and business communications.

Benefits of dedicated device:

  • ✅ Zero risk of personal messages leaking to CRM

  • ✅ No need to manage blacklist tags

  • ✅ Cleaner business metrics and reporting

  • ✅ Easier carrier fair use compliance

  • ✅ Professional setup

Cost:

When to use blacklist vs. dedicated device:

Scenario
Recommendation

Just starting, testing WhatSnap

Use blacklist tag on personal device

Small business, low volume

Blacklist tag acceptable

Growing business, 50+ msgs/day

Consider dedicated device

Agency serving clients

Definitely use dedicated devices

High-volume DBR campaigns

Must use dedicated devices

Troubleshooting Blacklist Issues

Personal Messages Still Appearing in GHL

Problem: Tagged contact's messages still sync to GoHighLevel.

Solutions:

1. Verify Tag Spelling

Check:

  • Tag must be exactly: whatsnap-blacklist

  • All lowercase

  • Hyphen (not underscore or space)

  • No extra characters or spaces

Common mistakes:

  • ❌ whatsnap_blacklist (underscore instead of hyphen)

  • ❌ whatsnap blacklist (space instead of hyphen)

  • ❌ Whatsnap-Blacklist (capitalized)

  • ❌ blacklist (missing "whatsnap-" prefix)

Fix:

  1. Remove incorrect tag

  2. Add correct tag: whatsnap-blacklist

  3. Save and test again

2. Tag Applied After Messages

Issue: Messages sent/received BEFORE tag was applied will already be in GHL.

Understanding:

  • Blacklist is not retroactive

  • Only prevents NEW messages from syncing

  • Old messages remain in GHL

Fix:

  • Manually delete old messages from GHL (if desired)

  • Going forward, messages won't sync

3. Contact Has Multiple Phone Numbers

Issue: Contact has several phone numbers, tag only on one.

Fix:

  1. Check if contact has multiple phone number entries

  2. Consolidate into one contact record

  3. Or add whatsnap-blacklist tag to all records for same person

4. Cached Data

Issue: Messages briefly appear then disappear.

This is normal:

  • WhatSnap may initially sync message

  • Then check for blacklist tag

  • Remove message from GHL within seconds

If persists:

  • Wait 5-10 minutes

  • Refresh GHL page

  • Check tag is correctly applied

Blacklist Not Working for WhatsApp/iMessage

Problem: Tag works for SMS but not other channels.

Solutions:

  1. Verify tag on contact: Same tag works for all channels, ensure it's applied

  2. Check channel configuration: Each WhatSnap channel (SMS, WhatsApp, iMessage) should respect blacklist

  3. Contact support: If blacklist works for one channel but not another, contact support@whatsnap.ai

Privacy and Security Considerations

What WhatSnap Can and Cannot See

WhatSnap processes:

  • ✅ Syncs messages to GoHighLevel (unless blacklisted)

  • ✅ Routes messages between device and GHL

  • ✅ Reads tags to determine blacklist status

WhatSnap does NOT:

  • ❌ Store message content beyond delivery

  • ❌ Read or access blacklisted messages

  • ❌ Share data with third parties

  • ❌ Use message content for any purpose other than delivery

Team Member Access

Who can see GHL messages:

  • Any team member with GoHighLevel access to that sub-account

  • Users with Conversations permissions

  • Account administrators

Protecting privacy:

  • Use whatsnap-blacklist tag to exclude personal messages

  • Or use dedicated business device (best practice)

  • Review team member permissions regularly

  • Consider separate GHL sub-account for personal device testing

Summary Checklist

To prevent personal messages from appearing in CRM:

Privacy Protected: With the blacklist tag properly configured, your personal conversations remain completely private while still using your personal account for business messaging.

Related Resources

Questions about blacklist tag or privacy? Contact support@whatsnap.ai for assistance.

PreviousHow To Port Numbers Out Of Twilio and LeadConnectorNextRCS Settings

Last updated