Archiving chats is a useful feature on WhatsApp that allows you to tidy up your chat list and hide conversations you don’t need regular access to. When you archive a chat, it gets removed from your main chat list and stored in your Archived chats folder. This clears up space and makes your daily conversations easier to navigate.
However, you may be wondering what happens if someone messages you on a chat you’ve archived. Will the chat become unarchived? Will you still get notifications? Here’s a detailed look at how archiving chats works on WhatsApp.
Does an archived chat become unarchived if they message you?
Yes, if someone sends you a new message on an archived chat, the conversation will automatically unarchive itself and move back to your main chat list.
This is so you don’t miss any new incoming messages just because you’ve archived old chats. As soon as the other person texts you, the chat will unarchive and you’ll get a notification as usual.
So archiving is only designed to hide inactive conversations, not block new messages. As soon as there’s new activity, the chat will unarchive and become visible again.
Do you still get notifications when an archived chat is messaged?
Yes, you will still get notifications for any new messages received on an archived chat. Archiving does not mute or block notifications.
When your contact sends a new message to your archived conversation, your phone will pop up a notification as normal. You’ll hear the notification sound and see the chat appear in your notification bar.
Tapping on the notification will open the chat, which will now be unarchived back into your main chat list.
So you don’t need to worry about missing important messages if you’ve archived a chat. Notifications will still come through so you’re aware of any new activity.
Can you permanently mute notifications on an archived chat?
While archiving alone does not mute notifications, you can take the additional step of muting an archived chat to permanently disable notifications from it.
Here is how to mute notifications on an archived chat on Android and iPhone:
On Android:
– Open the archived chat you want to mute
– Tap the name of the chat at the top
– Tap Mute notifications
– Confirm that you want to mute notifications
This will mute notifications for this specific chat even when it’s archived.
On iPhone:
– Go to Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp
– Select the archived chat
– Toggle off Sounds and Notifications
Again, this mutes notifications for this particular chat.
So if you don’t want any notifications from an archived chat, you can mute it separately after archiving. But archiving alone does not affect notifications.
What happens when a muted chat is unarchived?
If you’ve muted an archived chat, the mute settings will remain in effect even when the chat gets unarchived later.
So if the chat becomes active again and unarchives itself, you still won’t get any notifications from it. The mute setting persists between the archived and unarchived states.
You’ll need to manually unmute the chat within WhatsApp to start receiving notifications from it again. Unarchiving alone does not undo the mute.
So muting gives you a way to indefinitely disable notifications from specific chats even if they become relevant again down the road. The mute persists across archive/unarchive cycles.
Can you view new messages in an archived chat without unarchiving?
Unfortunately, you cannot view new messages received in an archived chat without unarchiving it first.
Even if you get a notification for a new message in an archived conversation, tapping it will unarchive the chat rather than showing you the message.
If you want to view the message, you’ll have to unarchive the chat, which also moves it back to your main chat list. There is no way to preview archived chat contents from the archive.
However, media previews like images and videos will show up in your notifications without opening the chat. So you can get a sneak peek at media messages.
If you turn off notifications, do archived chats stay archived?
Yes, if you turn off all WhatsApp notifications, your archived chats will remain archived even if new messages come in.
Disabling notifications sits on top of your chat archiving and does not affect it. So chats stay archived as you had set them originally.
With notifications off across WhatsApp, you won’t get notified of any new messages, including to archived chats. But the archived conversations will stay tucked away in your archive.
To check for new messages in your archived chats, you’ll have to view your archives folder manually. New activity will not unarchive chats if notifications are disabled.
Can you archive Group chats?
Yes, you can archive both individual and Group chats in WhatsApp. Archiving works the same way for Groups.
When you archive a Group chat:
– The chat will disappear from your Chats list
– You’ll stop getting notifications from the Group
– The chat will be stored in your Archived chats folder
And as with 1-on-1 chats, any new messages from a Group will unarchive it and move it back to your main Chats list.
Archiving is great for tidying up old Groups you’re no longer actively participating in but aren’t ready to leave or mute yet.
What happens when you leave an archived Group chat?
If you’ve archived a WhatsApp Group chat and then choose to leave the Group, the chat will remain archived rather than disappearing.
Normally, leaving a Group removes the chat entirely from your app. But archived chats behave differently.
When you leave an archived Group, the chat will stay in your Archives folder, including the full history. But of course, you won’t get any new messages from that Group anymore.
So archiving Groups before leaving them is a handy way to hang onto the chat history while stepping away from the Group itself.
Can you recover a chat after deleting it?
Unfortunately, unlike archiving, deleting a chat permanently erases the conversation and you cannot recover it.
When you delete a WhatsApp chat:
– The chat disappears from your Chats list
– The entire chat history is erased
– Media files exchanged are deleted
– You cannot retrieve the chat or messages later
So deleting is irreversible. However, any media you’ve saved to your phone’s storage will remain available in your gallery. Only in-chat files get removed.
Archiving chats is a safer option if you might need to reference old conversations again later. Only delete chats you’re absolutely certain you’ll never need to look back on.
Do your contacts know if you’ve archived their chat?
No, archiving a chat is a purely client-side operation that others can’t detect. Your contacts have no indication if their chat is archived or not on your end.
Archiving only affects your own chat organization and notifications. It does not change anything on your contact’s side of the conversation. They can continue to message you as normal.
In fact, even if they try to check if you’ve read their new messages (using Read Receipts), it will show as ‘delivered’ from their end – not ‘read’.
So archiving lets you organize chats discreetly without others being aware. Only you can see your archived chats folder.
Can you search for messages in archived chats?
Yes, WhatsApp’s chat search tool allows you to look for messages even within your archived conversations.
On Android & iOS, just use the main search bar at the top of the Chats list and enter your keyword. Tapping on a result will take you directly to the message within the archived chat.
This is handy if you need to dig up an old message, file, or conversation that you’ve archived for later reference. As long as you don’t delete chats, you can search archived content.
Conclusion
Archiving chats on WhatsApp is a great way to organize your conversations by hiding old or inactive chats from view. Though archived chats will unarchive if messaged, you can mute them separately to avoid notifications. Leaving archived groups also keeps the chat history intact. While deleting chats permanently erases them, your archived chats remain searchable if you need to access old messages later.
| Action | Effect on Archived Chat |
|---|---|
| Contact messages you | Chat unarchives |
| You mute chat notifications | Remains archived and muted |
| You leave an archived group | Remains archived in your folder |
| You delete a chat | Permanently erased |
| You search for messages | Archived chats are searchable |