WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the key features of WhatsApp is the ability to mute notifications for specific chats or groups, allowing you to control when and how often you get notified of new messages.
Does WhatsApp notify the other person if you mute the chat?
A common question many WhatsApp users have is whether the other person is notified if you mute the chat. The simple answer is no. When you mute a chat or group on WhatsApp, it does not send any notification to the other participants that you have muted the conversation.
So if you mute a chat with your friend, your friend will not know that you have muted their chat on your end. They can keep sending you messages as normal, but you will not get notified for them until you unmute the chat. This can be very useful if you need to temporarily mute a busy group or someone who is messaging you frequently.
The only way the other person would know that you have muted their chat is if they try to message you and see that you are taking longer than normal to respond. But there is no direct notification sent from WhatsApp when you mute or unmute a chat.
Does the mute icon show up for other people in the chat?
In group chats, when you mute the conversation, it does not show any icon or notification for the other participants. The mute icon showing muted notifications is only visible to you in the chat. Other members of the group will not see any indicator that you have muted the chat.
So if you mute a group chat, other people in the group can still mention you and message you, and they have no way of knowing you won’t get notified for it. Only you can see the mute icon next to the group chat name after you have muted it.
Can chat admins tell if you have muted the chat?
For group chats, even if someone is an admin, they have no way of knowing who has muted the chat and who hasn’t. The mute functionality is private and only visible to you as the user.
Group admins have some additional controls, but they cannot see mute status for other members of the group. So muting a group does not send any identifier to the admin or to other users that you have muted notifications.
If you mute someone, can they still see your ‘online’ status?
Yes, when you mute a chat on WhatsApp, it only mutes notifications, not other status indicators. So if you are online on WhatsApp and mute a specific chat, those contacts can still see when you are online and when you were last online.
Your online/last seen status privacy is controlled separately in WhatsApp settings. So muting a chat has no impact on your online presence visible to that contact. You can be online but have their notifications muted, and they could still tell when you are actively using WhatsApp.
Does muting a chat also mute mentions?
By default, when you mute a WhatsApp chat or group, it mutes all notifications from that conversation, including @mentions. So if anyone mentions you by your name in a muted chat, you still will not get any notification for that message.
However, WhatsApp does give you the option to only mute general messages, and still get notifications for any mentions. So you can customize muting to only mute general messages but keep mentions enabled if needed.
Can I mute a chat forever?
WhatsApp does not have an option to permanently mute a chat forever. The mute duration is limited to:
- 8 hours
- 1 week
- 1 year
The maximum you can mute a chat for is one year. Once the selected duration is over, notifications will resume normally. There is no way to permanently indefinitely mute a chat on WhatsApp at this time.
How to mute a chat on WhatsApp
Muting a chat is easy on WhatsApp. Simply follow these steps:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to mute
- Tap on the group/contact name at the top
- Tap “Mute” option
- Select mute duration (8 hours, 1 week, 1 year)
And that’s it! The chat will now be muted from notifications based on your selected duration. You can unmute at any time by following the same process and tapping “Unmute.”
Muting archived chats
If you archive a chat that is muted, it will stay muted even when archived. Archiving simply removes the chat from your main view, but any mutes you have set will continue to apply.
So if you mute a chat, then archive it to remove clutter, that archived conversation will remain muted. You can still access it in your archive, but you will not get notifications.
Does muting prevent calls?
Muting notifications only mutes chat notifications and will not mute WhatsApp calls. So if you mute a contact or group, you can still receive incoming WhatsApp calls normally from muted chats.
There is a separate setting to block calls from specific contacts, which prevents calls in addition to muting notifications. But muting alone will only affect message notifications, not voice/video calls.
Troubleshooting muted chats
If you have muted a chat but are still getting notifications from it, here are some steps to troubleshoot:
- Check the mute duration has not expired
- Make sure you do not have that contact/chat set as a priority
- Restart your phone and WhatsApp app
- Verify Do Not Disturb mode is not overriding the mute
- Check that the mute option is specifically enabled for that chat
If the issue persists, try muting the chat again and selecting a longer duration. If notifications are still not muted, you may need to reinstall WhatsApp or contact support.
Conclusion
Muting WhatsApp chats is a simple but useful feature to manage notifications from busy or low priority conversations. The key highlights to remember are:
- Muting does not notify the other user or show any icon to them
- Admins cannot see who has muted a group chat
- You can customize muting to allow mentions
- There is no permanent mute option, maximum is 1 year
- Muting keeps working even if the chat is archived
- Calls will still come through from muted chats
Using WhatsApp’s mute feature appropriately allows you to stay on top of important conversations while minimizing distractions from unwanted notifications. It gives you greater control over managing your chats and personalizing notifications.