For WhatsApp users, the last few months have been somewhat of a roller coaster, at least for those who use third-party apps to access the service.

In January reports surfaced that the company was handing out limited-time suspensions for users that were violating WhatsApp user terms, essentially by using those aforementioned third-party apps to access the service proper. And then, just recently, reports cropped up from users that were allegedly getting hit with “permanent” bans from the service, blocking them from using WhatsApp at all.

With those permanent bans, many users said that their numbers were actually getting the red tape, which means that even if they wanted to switch to the official WhatsApp, they couldn’t do it.

Turns out, according to WhatsApp, that’s not actually the case. Based on a report published by TechCrunch, WhatsApp isn’t handing out permanent bans to users, but is simply blocking the third-party clients. Those apps include WhatsApp+, WhatsAppReborn and others. The report states that WhatsApp is cracking down on these other apps because they’re trying to focus on safety, and can’t guarantee that the apps are safe for users to use:

“The reason for the crackdown, the company explained, was related to security and privacy. It simply can’t guarantee such apps are safe, given that WhatsApp doesn’t control their source code.“

It boils down to, according to WhatsApp, that if a user gets the ban that’s pictured above, they simply have to remove the third-party apps from their smartphone and they will be able to use WhatsApp again — as long as it’s the official client.