Learn how to mute group text notifications on your Android device with this easy step-by-step guide. Customize mute settings for any annoying group chat.
Why You Might Want to Mute Group Chats
Group texts can be useful for keeping in touch with friends, family, coworkers, and more.
However, the constant notifications from active group chats can also be distracting and annoying.
If you find yourself getting too many notifications from a particular group conversation, muting the chat is an easy way to keep receiving the messages without all the alerts.
Mute All Group Notifications Temporarily
If you only need a temporary break from a group chat, you can mute notifications from the conversation for either 8 hours or 1 week.
On Android 9 Pie & Above
For Android 9 and newer:
- Open the group chat
- Touch and hold the group name at the top
- Tap “Mute notifications”
- Choose to mute for 8 hours or 1 week
On Android 8 Oreo & Below
If your phone runs Android 8 or older:
- Open the group conversation
- Tap the menu icon (3 vertical dots)
- Select “Mute”
- Choose either 8 hours or 1 week
This will stop notifications just from this group chat while still allowing notifications from other conversations.
Mute a Group Chat Completely
You can also fully mute a chat to stop all notifications from the group conversation until you manually unmute it.
On Android 9 Pie & Above
On Android 9 or newer:
- Open the group conversation
- Touch and hold the group name
- Tap “Mute notifications”
- Select “Mute Forever”
On Android 8 Oreo & Below
For Android 8 and below:
- Open the chat
- Tap the menu icon (3 dots)
- Choose “Mute”
- Toggle on “Mute Forever”
This completely mutes the selected group chat.
You won’t get any sound, vibration, or visual notification from messages sent in the muted conversation.
Customize Android Notification Settings
You can also customize your Android notification settings to mute group messages:
- Go to “Settings” > “Apps & Notifications”
- Select “Conversations”
- Tap on your messaging app
- Toggle “Custom” on
- Adjust notification settings as desired, like turning off sound and vibration
This allows you to mute group chats while still receiving other important notifications.
Unmute Conversations When Ready
When you want to start receiving notifications again from a muted chat, simply:
- Open the conversation
- Tap the menu icon (3 dots)
- Select “Unmute”
If you muted “forever”, this will begin sending you notifications again anytime new messages come through.
Mute Individual Group Participants
If one person is particularly annoying in a group chat, you can also mute just that individual within the conversation.
- Open the chat
- Long press the person’s name
- Tap “Mute [name]” to mute
Now you won’t get notifications from that person, but will still see messages from other participants.
Leave the Group Chat
If muting isn’t enough, you can always leave the group conversation entirely:
- Open the chat
- Tap the group name
- Select “Leave group”
You’ll stop receiving any messages from that group.
To rejoin the conversation later, you’ll need to be re-invited or ask one of the participants to add you back.
FAQs About Muting Groups on Android
Can people in a muted group chat see if I’ve read their messages?
Yes, muting a chat only stops notifications on your end. Group members can still see if you’ve read their messages or when you were last online.
What happens when I mute a group chat on Android?
Muting stops all notifications – no sound, vibration, or banner alerts. You’ll only see new messages if you manually open the muted conversation.
Will my muted group chats sync across devices?
Usually muting syncs across Android devices signed into the same account. But muted settings don’t always carry over to iOS or other operating systems.
Pros of Muting Chats
- Avoid constant annoying notifications
- Stay in group conversations without disruptions
- Customize notifications from most active chats
Cons of Muting
- May miss important messages if you forget to check
- Doesn’t prevent very active conversations from filling up storage
Muting group message notifications is an easy way to reduce disruptions from chatty or active conversations on your Android device.
You can customize settings on a case-by-case basis to suit your needs.
