Yes, you can mute and unmute chats on WhatsApp. WhatsApp offers options to mute chats for 8 hours, 1 week, or always. Muting a chat prevents you from receiving notifications for that particular chat. It’s a useful feature when you don’t want to be disturbed by constant notifications from a busy group chat or an individual contact.
How to Mute a Chat
Muting a chat on WhatsApp is easy to do on both iPhone and Android devices. Here are the steps:
On iPhone
1. Open the WhatsApp app and go to the chat you want to mute.
2. Tap and hold the chat in the chat list. A menu will pop up.
3. Tap “Mute” and select if you want to mute for 8 hours, 1 week or always.
4. The muted chat will now show a moon icon next to its name in the chat list indicating it’s muted.
On Android
1. Open WhatsApp and go to the chat you want to mute.
2. Tap the menu icon in the top right corner (it looks like 3 vertical dots).
3. Select “Mute notifications” and choose a duration of 8 hours, 1 week or always.
4. The muted chat will show a crossed bell icon to indicate it’s muted.
And that’s it! The selected chat is now muted and you won’t get any notifications from it until you unmute it again.
How to Unmute a Chat
If you’ve muted a chat but now want to receive notifications from it again, unmuting is easy:
On iPhone
1. Go to the muted chat and tap and hold it.
2. Tap “Unmute” in the menu that pops up.
3. The mute icon will disappear, indicating notifications are enabled again.
On Android
1. Go to the muted chat and tap the menu icon.
2. Tap “Unmute notifications” in the menu.
3. The crossed bell icon will disappear when notifications are re-enabled.
And the chat is unmuted! Notifications will start coming through again as normal.
How to Mute Notifications for a Group
You can also mute notifications for entire groups if the conversation is too active:
On iPhone
1. Go to the group chat you want to mute.
2. Tap on the group’s name at the top of the chat screen.
3. Tap “Mute” and select a duration.
On Android
1. Go to the group chat.
2. Tap the menu icon.
3. Tap “Mute group” and pick a duration.
The group will now show a mute icon in your chats list. You can unmute at any time by following the same steps and tapping “Unmute.”
Mute Notifications for Voice Messages
Tired of getting notified every time someone sends a voice message? You can disable notifications:
On iPhone
1. Go to WhatsApp Settings > Notifications > Voice Messages.
2. Toggle off “Notification Sound” to mute.
On Android
1. Open WhatsApp Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap Voice messages and toggle off “Play notification sound.”
You will stop getting sound/vibration alerts for new voice messages with these settings disabled.
How to Silence Notifications at Night
You can silence all WhatsApp notifications during nighttime hours:
On iPhone
1. Go to iPhone Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp.
2. Toggle on “Scheduled” and set a schedule, like 10 PM to 7 AM.
On Android
1. Open WhatsApp > Menu > Notifications.
2. Tap on “Conversations” and enable “Use schedule.”
3. Set a night schedule when you don’t want notifications.
This will disable all WhatsApp notification sounds and vibrations during the scheduled hours. You can still see notification banners/previews on your phone when muted.
Troubleshooting Mute Issues
If muting chats doesn’t seem to work, here are some troubleshooting tips:
– Check if notifications are muted for your entire device – WhatsApp follows system mute settings.
– Make sure WhatsApp notifications are enabled under system settings.
– If muting a group, check if you’ve muted specific members which overrides mute.
– Restart your phone and check if muting works after a fresh restart.
– Update WhatsApp to the latest version in case it’s a bug causing issues.
– On iPhone, check if WhatsApp is silenced via the moon icon in the top bar when in chat list.
– On Android, see if the mute/crossed bell icon displays properly in muted chats.
– As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
Following these tips should help resolve any muting related problems!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does muting a chat also mute group mentions?
No, muting a group chat will not mute mentions. You will still be notified when someone @ mentions you in a muted group chat.
Can I mute an individual in a WhatsApp group?
Yes, you can mute specific participants in a group chat so you don’t get notifications from their messages. Long press on their name and select ‘Mute [name]’.
What happens when I mute someone on WhatsApp?
Muting someone will stop notification sounds/vibrations when they send you an individual or group message. You can still see their messages in the chat history.
How do I mute WhatsApp videos?
Go to WhatsApp Settings > Data Usage and enable ‘Low Data Usage.’ This will disable autoplay and reduce data usage for videos.
Can I mute WhatsApp totally?
While you can’t mute WhatsApp completely, putting it into Do Not Disturb or disabling notifications will silence all incoming WhatsApp alerts and calls.
| Platform | Steps to Mute Chat |
|---|---|
| iPhone | 1. Tap and hold chat in list 2. Select Mute 3. Choose duration |
| Android | 1. Tap menu icon 2. Select Mute notifications 3. Pick duration |
Conclusion
Muting chats and groups selectively is an effective way to cut down on WhatsApp notification overload without missing important messages. Make sure to unmute chats when you do want to resume notifications. And if issues occur, follow the troubleshooting tips to fix any problems muting or unmuting conversations. With the mute tool, you can take control and customize WhatsApp notifications to minimize distractions.