How to mute a conversation

Group chats can get lively, and a phone that pings all evening is the quickest way to put someone off chat altogether. Muting is the answer. You stay in the group and keep every message, you simply stop being notified about them.

Muting a group chat

1. Open the group conversation in Chat.
2. Tap the bell icon at the top right.
3. Choose Mute for 8 hours for an evening’s peace, or Mute permanently to stop notifications from that conversation altogether.

Once muted, the bell shows as crossed out, so you can tell at a glance.

Unmuting

1. Open the conversation and tap the same bell icon.
2. Choose Unmute.

Once a conversation is muted, the menu offers Unmute in place of the two mute options, so there is only one thing to tap. A permanent mute lasts until you unmute it. Nothing expires it, and it will not quietly switch itself back on.

What muting does and does not do

Muting stops the push notification and the sound. That is all it does. Messages still arrive, and the conversation still shows its unread count as normal, so a muted group will still look like it has something new in it. If you want the badge to clear, you need to open the conversation and read it.

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Good to know

• Muting applies to group chats only. There is no mute for a one-to-one conversation.
• Muting is yours alone. Nobody else in the group can see that you have done it, and nobody is offended.
• Nobody at your church can mute or unmute on your behalf. It is not visible in the web office, and administrators cannot see or clear it.
• It is a much better answer than leaving a group, because you keep the information and can still take part when you want to.
• Leaders: if several people in a group mute it, that is worth noticing rather than ignoring. It usually means the group is being used for chat when it was set up for coordination, and quiet hours or an announcement-only setting may serve everyone better. See How to turn on chat for a group.
• If you are not getting notifications you do want, check whether the conversation is muted before assuming something is broken. Our guide on app notifications covers the rest, and Why can’t I see Chat? covers the case where Chat itself is missing.
• Muting does not stop you appearing as having read messages when you open the conversation. It only affects notifications. See How to see who has read a message.