WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app worldwide, with over 2 billion users. One of its key features is notifications that alert you when you receive new messages. However, sometimes you may want to mute notifications temporarily without fully disabling them. If your WhatsApp notifications won’t stay silent when you try to mute them, it can be frustrating.
Quick Summary
There are a few common reasons why your WhatsApp notifications may not stay muted:
- Notification overrides – Some notifications are set to always make a sound by default and override mute settings.
- Do Not Disturb issues – Your device’s Do Not Disturb settings may be interfering with WhatsApp’s mute settings.
- App bugs – Bugs in the WhatsApp app may be preventing mute settings from working properly.
- Notification channels – You may need to adjust notification channel settings for WhatsApp on Android 8.0+.
- Contact exceptions – You haven’t muted specific contacts whose messages are breaking through.
To troubleshoot, check your notification and Do Not Disturb settings, update WhatsApp, and mute specific contacts. If issues persist, try uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp.notification sound.
Why Do WhatsApp Notifications Break Through?
There are a few main reasons why your WhatsApp notifications may stubbornly keep making noise when you try to mute them:
Notification Overrides
Some types of notifications are designed to always make a sound by default and override your mute and Do Not Disturb settings. These include:
- Repeat notifications – If you receive multiple messages from the same chat, it will override mute.
- Priority notifications – Messages marked urgent by the sender will play a sound.
- Group notifications – WhatsApp gives group notifications extra priority.
- Calls – Incoming WhatsApp calls will override mute settings and make a sound.
You have to manually mute these notification types in WhatsApp’s settings to prevent them from breaking through.
Do Not Disturb Interference
Your device’s Do Not Disturb settings can sometimes interfere with WhatsApp’s mute settings and allow notifications to make noise. For example, if you have set exceptions for favorite contacts in Do Not Disturb, you’ll still hear WhatsApp notifications from those contacts even if you muted the app.
Check your Do Not Disturb settings to see if you have any contacts exempted. You’ll need to remove the exceptions to allow WhatsApp mute to work properly.
WhatsApp Bugs
Like any app, WhatsApp can have bugs that affect how notifications work. Certain bugs may cause muted notifications to still make a sound or vibration.
Updating WhatsApp to the latest version can often resolve bugs related to notifications not muting properly. Make sure you have automatic updates enabled or manually update via your device’s app store.
Notification Channels on Android 8.0+
On Android 8.0 and higher, WhatsApp uses notification channels to manage different notification types. You need to mute each channel individually to mute all WhatsApp notifications.
Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > WhatsApp > Notifications and mute the Message, Group, and Call notification channels.
Contact Exceptions
When muting WhatsApp notifications, you may have missed muting specific contacts. If you only muted the general notifications, notifications from unmuted contacts will still make noise.
Double check that you have muted notifications from all individual contacts. You can also mute all contacts at once by toggling off “Notify me” under WhatsApp Settings > Notifications > Message notifications.
How to Troubleshoot and Fix
If your WhatsApp notifications refuse to be silenced, try these troubleshooting steps:
Check Notification Override Settings
Open WhatsApp Settings > Notifications and disable any notification types that are overriding mute settings, like repeat notifications, priority notifications, and calls.
Verify Do Not Disturb Settings
On both Android and iOS, go into your device’s Do Not Disturb settings and make sure you don’t have any contacts exempt from muting. Turn off any exceptions.
Update the WhatsApp App
An outdated version of WhatsApp could be the issue. Update WhatsApp to eliminate any notification bugs:
- On Android, enable auto-update in the Play Store or manually update in the Play Store.
- On iPhone, enable auto-updates or manually update in the App Store.
Mute Notification Channels (Android 8.0+ Only)
If your Android version is 8.0 or higher, mute the Message, Group, and Call notification channels for WhatsApp under Settings > Apps & Notifications > WhatsApp > Notifications.
Mute All Contacts
As a blanket solution, you can mute notifications from all individual contacts at once in WhatsApp by toggling off “Notify me” under Settings > Notifications > Message notifications.
Uninstall and Reinstall WhatsApp
If all else fails, uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp can often fix persistent notification issues. Just make sure to back up your chats first.
Preventing Notification Issues
To avoid running into issues with muted WhatsApp notifications in the future:
- Always keep WhatsApp updated to the latest version.
- Double check that all notification channels are muted on Android 8.0+.
- Disable all contact exceptions in Do Not Disturb settings.
- Mute notifications from all individual contacts and groups.
- Disable all notification overrides like repeat and priority notifications.
Bottom Line
WhatsApp notifications breaking through your mute settings can be annoying. But in most cases, it can be resolved by adjusting notification overrides, Do Not Disturb exceptions, individual contact mute settings, or updating the app itself. With the right troubleshooting, you can keep your WhatsApp notifications silent and enjoy some peace and quiet.