How to mute messages on whatsapp


What Happens When You Mute Someone on WhatsApp

You immediately breathe a sigh of relief

Everyone uses WhatsApp. Perhaps that explains why the instant messaging platform is a handful sometimes. Unsolicited texts, spam messages, and excessive group messages are some common menace many WhatsApp users have to deal with. Thankfully, the WhatsApp Mute feature lets you catch a break when conversations become a bother.

When notifications from WhatsApp get distracting, muting conversations can help you focus. In this article, we’ll dive into how to mute WhatsApp notifications, what happens when you mute someone on WhatsApp, and other related queries.

Table of Contents

    What Is Mute on WhatsApp

    WhatsApp comes with two types Mute of functionalities: 

    Mute notifications for individual or group chats and Mute for status. We’ll walk you through both and their differences.

    What Happens When You Mute Chat Notifications on WhatsApp

    By default, WhatsApp sends a push notification with sound alerts each time you get a text from an individual or a group chat. When you mute someone, however, WhatsApp will silence notifications for subsequent texts received in the conversation.

    Say you mute your cousin, Simon, who sends you incessant and offensive texts and memes on WhatsApp. Simon will still be able to send you messages, reach you via voice or video calls, and view your status updates. The only thing that changes is that WhatsApp won’t notify you in real-time; you’ll see Simon’s messages only when you open the app.

    You’ll find a crossed-out speaker icon next to the contact or group’s name during the mute period.

    What Happens When You Mute Status on WhatsApp

    When you hit that mute button on a status update, WhatsApp won’t push subsequent updates from that particular contact to the Recent Updates queue. You can still view a muted status but you’ll have to scroll all the way down to the Muted Updates section in the status tab.

    Muted Conversations Are Not 100% Efficient

    Muting a personal chat will only silence messages, not calls. If a muted contact calls you on WhatsApp, your phone will ring and you’ll get a notification. For muted group chats, you’ll get a notification when a participant mentions you or sends a reply to your message(s).

    Muting a Chat vs. Muting a Status

    “Mute notifications for chats” and “Mute for status updates” are two entirely different features and shouldn’t be confused with the other. It’s also worth mentioning that they are mutually exclusive; muting a contact’s conversation will not mute their status updates. Neither will muting a contact’s status update silence texts notifications.

    Don’t want to receive both text or status notifications from a contact? You’ll have to individually mute your conversation with them in the Chats section and mute their status updates in the Status tab.

    Muting Is Discreet

    When you mute a contact’s conversation or their status update, it’s your secret to keep. WhatsApp won’t notify the other party that you muted them. Similarly, you cannot tell if someone muted you, either. The same applies to group chats. No one in the group, not even the admin, will know that you muted the group. 

    Difference Between Mute and Block on WhatsApp

    Muting someone on WhatsApp is like turning off the volume of your TV. All components of the TV will remain functional except the speakers. You can still watch content, switch channels, and do other stuff but you won’t get distracted by the noise. Blocking a WhatsApp contact, on the other hand, is like turning off the TV. That shuts down all components of the television.

    Mute vs. Block: For Personal or Individual Chats

    When you block a contact (or an unknown number) on WhatsApp, their texts and voice messages don’t get delivered to you. They cannot reach you via voice or video calls, either. That’s because, just like turning off your TV, you’ve shut down all points of direct communication with the person.

    In addition, they can’t view your status updates, profile picture, and online information (online status and last seen). Blocking someone on WhatsApp also means that you can’t reach the person via text or calls, neither can you view their status updates unless you unblock them.

    Muting someone on WhatsApp is a thing of individual preference. The feature ONLY silences message notifications on your device and that’s about it. WhatsApp will notify a muted contact about your messages—unless they’ve also muted you on their end.

    Mute vs. Block: For Group Chats

    While it’s possible to mute both personal and group chats on WhatsApp, you can only block personal chats. Exiting a group is the closest alternative to blocking a group.

    Mute Out Distractions

    Summarily, muting a conversation on WhatsApp only impacts the delivery of text notifications. You can think of it as a Do Not Disturb for WhatsApp. It shuts out all alerts for personal or group chats for a specified period. And that’s about it.

    There’s no limit to the number of chats or groups that you can mute on WhatsApp. However, if you feel the need to mute multiple conversations or everyone on your chat list (which is a lot stressful), disabling WhatsApp notifications in your device settings is an easier alternative. 

    For iOS, go to Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp and turn off Allow Notifications.

    For Android, navigate to Settings > Apps & notifications > WhatsApp > Notifications and set the option to Off.

    If you don’t want to block someone on WhatsApp, muting them is the next best thing to do. Note that muting or blocking someone on WhatsApp is limited to the app only. Muted or blocked contacts can still reach you via cellular calls, SMS, or other messaging platforms.

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    How To Mute Individual And Group Chats On WhatsApp

    By Shikhar Mehrotra

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    WhatsApp users can choose to mute individual or group chats to reduce the number of notifications, making it easier to focus on more important tasks.

    WhatsApp users can mute both individual and group chats if they feel the need to pause some notifications from the app. Since the pandemic hit, people around the world have relied on instant messaging applications like WhatsApp to stay in touch with their friends, family, and even colleagues. However, there are times when a user's phone might be buzzing all day due to notifications from WhatsApp, either from a group chat or a specific contact.

    Fortunately, WhatsApp has a convenient feature to deal with this situation. The platform lets users selectively mute chats so that they can stop receiving notifications. This allows them to ignore or postpone replying to a chat, without blocking a contact or leaving a group. WhatsApp even allows users to choose how long they want to mute a chat for.

    Related: How To Change Chat Wallpaper On WhatsApp

    To mute an individual chat on WhatsApp, find the contact in the Chats section of the app and open the chat. Tap on the person's profile picture located at the top left corner. In the interface that opens, tap on Mute notifications on an Android phone or Mute on an iPhone. From the pop-up, choose to mute the chat for eight hours, one week, or permanently. To mute the chat but continue receiving notifications in the notification shade, tap on the Show notifications checkbox. Android users can also mute a chat from the WhatsApp home screen. Tap and hold the chat and select the mute icon at the top right corner of the display. This allows multiple chats to be selected and muted at the time time.

    The steps to mute a group chat on WhatsApp are similar to muting an individual chat. All users have to do is tap on a group chat, and then on the group name at the top. Scroll down and tap on the Mute notifications option. Select the time period the chat needs to be muted for, choose whether to enable notifications, and it's done.

    WhatsApp also allows users to mute chats from its web client and desktop app. To do this, move the cursor over a chat (individual or group), and click on the downward arrow icon that appears. Select Mute notifications from the drop-down list, and choose the duration the chat needs to be muted for. Click on Mute Notifications again to confirm. Alternatively, WhatsApp Web users can also open a chat, click on the contact or group's name, and turn on the Mute notifications toggle.

    WhatsApp users will continue to receive messages whether they mute chats for eight hours or permanently. However, their device won't make notification sounds or vibrate when new messages are received. Additionally, chats that are muted won't display a badge count for unread messages unless someone mentions the user directly or replies to them. WhatsApp users can choose to unmute a chat at any point by following the same steps outlined above.

    Next: How To Save A WhatsApp Message And Quickly Find It Again Later

    Source: WhatsApp (1, 2, 3)

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    About The Author

    Shikhar Mehrotra (253 Articles Published)

    Fascinated by companies like Apple and Samsung, Shikhar has covered consumer tech for three years. His favorite topics include how-to explainers, guides, and features with a helpful point of view that makes tech easier for others. In the past, he has worked for several technology publications, including Android Fist, TelecomDrive, and is currently associated with Republic World and SlashGear. Other than writing, Shikhar has a knack for social media management. In his free time, he watches the American sitcom Friends or creates videos for his YouTube channel. Shikhar attended Amity University in India for a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication, where he was awarded a gold medal for academic excellence.

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