WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the key features of WhatsApp is group chats, which allow you to communicate with multiple people at once in a single conversation. However, when you are part of a large WhatsApp group, you may sometimes want to reply to a specific person’s message within the group, without your reply being seen by everyone. So how do you reply to an individual message on a WhatsApp group?
Understanding WhatsApp Group Messaging
When you send a message in a WhatsApp group, by default it is visible to every member of that group. There is no way to send a message in a group that is only visible to certain people. This means if you want to reply to someone specifically, without others seeing it, you can’t do it directly within the group chat.
However, there are a couple of workarounds that allow you to emulate direct messaging within a group:
@ Mentions
WhatsApp has a feature where you can mention a person by their name using the @ symbol, like @john. This will send them a notification even if they have muted the group. So you can write your reply and put @person at the start to target it to an individual. The limitation is that the message is still visible to the whole group.
Replying Privately
The only way to truly send a private message to someone within a WhatsApp group is to reply to them directly outside the group. You can do this in two ways:
1. Copy their message and send it back privately
– Long press on the message you want to reply to
– Tap on the arrow icon to forward the message
– Search for and select only that person’s name to forward the message to
– Type your reply below their original message
This keeps the context in the forwarded message, so they know what you are responding to. The downside is it takes a few more steps.
2. Use their phone number to start a new chat
– Tap on their name in the group to open their contact info
– Tap on the phone number to start a new private chat
– Type your message replying to them directly in private
This method is quicker but loses the context from the original group message. So you have to make clear what you are responding to.
Step-by-Step Guide
Here is a detailed step-by-step guide to replying privately to a message in a WhatsApp group:
1. Open the WhatsApp group
– Launch WhatsApp and open the group conversation.
– Locate the specific message within the group chat that you want to reply to privately.
2. Long press the message
– On Android: Touch and hold the message.
– On iPhone: Firmly press on the message.
– This will highlight the message.
3. Tap the forward arrow icon
– While still holding, a small popup will appear.
– Tap on the curved arrow icon on the right side.
– This will take you to the message forwarding screen.
4. Select the private contact
– On the forwarding screen, tap on the search bar at the top.
– Search for and select the name of the person you want to reply to privately.
– Make sure only their name is selected, not the entire group.
5. Send the forwarded message
– With only the recipient selected, tap the arrow icon to forward the message.
– This will open your private chat with that person.
6. Type your reply
– Below the forwarded message, type your reply.
– You can now respond privately about the original group message.
– Tap send to reply directly only to that individual.
7. Switch back to the group
– Once you’ve sent the private message, you can go back to the WhatsApp group.
– On Android: Tap the back arrow until you return to the group.
– On iPhone: Swipe left to return to the group chat screen.
Private Replies on iPhone vs Android
The process for replying privately to a WhatsApp group message is nearly identical on both iPhone and Android. The only key difference is on iPhone you swipe left to switch chats, while on Android you tap the back arrow.
Here are the steps again highlighting the differences:
iPhone
– Long press the message and tap forward
– Select the private contact
– Send the forwarded message
– Type your reply
– Swipe left to return to the group
Android
– Long press the message and tap forward
– Select the private contact
– Send the forwarded message
– Type your reply
– Tap back arrow to return to the group
So iPhone users swipe left while Android users tap the back button – but otherwise the process is the same.
Pros and Cons of Replying Privately
Replying privately to a WhatsApp group message has some advantages and disadvantages to consider:
Pros:
- Lets you respond directly to an individual without others seeing
- Keeps your reply private and hidden from the group
- Allows you to discuss sensitive topics safely
- Recipient gets full context from the original message
Cons:
- More time consuming than replying in the group
- Can fragment the group conversation
- Original author doesn’t know you replied privately
- Loses the thread if you go off-topic
Overall, replying privately is best for short, targeted responses where you want to keep the conversation discrete from the group. For longer discussions, it may be better to continue them outside the group message entirely.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Accidentally forwarded the message back to the group
If you select the entire group instead of an individual when forwarding, you will end up posting your private reply back to the group publicly. To avoid this, carefully check that only the intended recipient is selected before tapping forward. If you do accidentally post back to the group, you can hold and delete your message to remove it.
Person is not getting your private replies
Make sure you have started a private chat with the correct contact. Check that you have the right phone number or WhatsApp account connected to them. If they are still not receiving your private messages, ask them to double check their notification and privacy settings.
Message says “forwarded” when replying
By default, when forwarding a message the recipient can see it is forwarded. This labels your private reply. To hide this, long press on the forwarded message and select “Delete for everyone” before replying privately. This will remove the forwarded label.
FAQs
Can I mention someone in a WhatsApp group and they see it privately?
No, @ mentioning someone in a WhatsApp group message will not send them a private notification. It simply highlights your message for them, but it is still visible to the entire group.
How do I hide my number when replying privately?
You can block your number before sending a private reply in WhatsApp. Go to Settings > Account > Privacy and enable “Hide number”. This will hide your number to non-contacts when replying privately.
Can I tell if my private reply was read?
Yes, you can see read receipts and double check ticks on private messages just like normal WhatsApp chats. This confirms if your private reply was read by the recipient.
Conclusion
Replying privately to an individual message within a busy WhatsApp group takes a few more steps but allows you to have a private conversation within the context of the group chat. By forwarding the message and responding directly in a private chat, you can emulate a direct reply without the rest of the group seeing it. This is useful for responding to sensitive messages or having side discussions with group members. Just be careful when forwarding to select only the person you want to message privately.
| Platform | Steps |
|---|---|
| iPhone |
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| Android |
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