How do you mute a group chat on Google Messages?

Google Messages is Google’s default messaging app for Android smartphones that utilize Rich Communication Services (RCS) for enhanced features. It comes preinstalled on many Android devices and can also be downloaded from the Google Play Store. One of Google Messages’ key features is group chats.

With Google Messages, users can start group chats with multiple contacts, have threaded conversations, and receive notifications when someone sends a message to the group. Group chats on Google Messages provide a convenient way for friends, families, coworkers, and other groups to communicate and collaborate.

Unlike regular one-on-one chats, group chats have additional options to control notifications. For example, sometimes a very active group chat can become distracting with constant notifications. Users may want to mute group chats temporarily or customize notifications from specific group conversations.

Why Mute a Group Chat?

There are a few key reasons you may want to mute a group chat on Google Messages:

Reduce notifications – Group chats can generate a constant stream of notifications that clutter your notification shade and interrupt your focus. Muting the chat prevents you from being distracted by every new message.

Avoid distractions – Group chats are often used for causal conversations that aren’t always urgent or important. Muting chats you don’t need to follow closely can help avoid distracting notifications.

Control which conversations you see – Muting allows you to control which group message threads show up in your main messages view. This declutters your inbox and lets you focus on the most important chats.

Overall, muting gives you more control over your Google Messages app and notifications. It helps reduce distractions, while still letting you easily view the group chat when you want to catch up on the conversation. This makes muting an essential tool for managing busy group chats.

Mute Notifications for All Group Chats

You can mute notifications for all group chats directly from the Google Messages settings. This will silence notifications for every group conversation you’re in.

To mute notifications for all groups:

Open the Google Messages app on your Android device.
Tap the three dot menu icon in the top right corner.

Select “Settings” from the menu.
Scroll down and tap “Notifications.”
Under “Message notifications,” toggle “Groups” off.

With group chat notifications disabled, you will no longer receive sound, vibration or visual banners for new messages in any group chat. The conversations will remain unmuted and you can still view new messages by opening the app.

To turn group notifications back on, simply return to Settings > Notifications and toggle “Groups” back on.

You can also customize notifications for individual group chats rather than disabling notifications for all groups. See the next section for details.

Mute Notifications for Specific Group Chats

You can mute notifications for a specific group chat conversation on Google Messages while still receiving notifications from other group chats. This allows you to customize notifications on a chat-by-chat basis.

To mute notifications for a specific group chat on Google Messages:

1. Open the group chat you want to mute notifications for.

2. Tap the group name at the top of the chat window. This opens the group details.

3. Toggle off “Notifications” to disable notifications for just that group chat. The toggle will turn gray when disabled.

Now you will stop receiving notifications for that particular group chat, while still getting notifications from other conversations on Google Messages. You can toggle notifications back on for that group chat at any time to resume receiving notifications.

For more information, see this Google Messages help article on muting group chats.

Customize Notifications for Group Chats

You can customize the notifications for specific group chats in Google Messages to control how and when you’re alerted to new messages. This allows you to set custom notifications like priority only for selective group conversations.

To customize notifications for a specific group chat in the Android app:

Open the group conversation
Tap the three dots in the top right corner
Select “Details”

Tap “Notifications”

From here you can set the notification style to your preference, like “Alerting” for high priority notifications or “Silent” to mute that group.

The iPhone app offers similar customization. Open the group chat, tap the group name at the top, select “Notifications” and choose your preferred setting.

With this granular control, you can silence annoying group threads while still staying on top of the important conversations. As one Reddit user pointed out, “I will open the conversation in the app, select the three dots, edit group details, notifications, and set these from alert to silent.” (Source)

Mute All Notifications from Google Messages

You can mute notifications for all conversations in Google Messages by toggling off notifications for the app in your Android device’s settings. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android phone or tablet.

2. Tap Notifications.

3. Find Google Messages in the list of apps. Tap on it.

4. Toggle off “Show notifications” to disable notifications for all Google Messages conversations.

With notifications turned off at the app level, you will no longer receive notifications for any new messages in Google Messages. Keep in mind this mutes all Google Messages alerts, not just for specific group chats.

Unmute a Muted Chat

If you want to start receiving notifications from a muted chat again, there are two ways to unmute the conversation:

Open the Google Messages app and go to the specific muted chat. Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right and select “Group details.” In the group details, toggle “Mute notifications” off to unmute the chat.

Open the Google Messages app and go to Settings. Tap “Notifications” and select the muted chat you want to unmute. Toggle notifications on for that specific chat.

Unmuting a chat through either the chat details or notification settings will re-enable sound, vibration, and badge alerts. You can customize the notification behavior as needed after unmuting.

If you don’t see the mute option in a group chat, check that you have the latest version of Google Messages installed. The mute feature was added in a 2020 update.

Manage conversations by muting notifications in Google Chat – Google Workspace Updates

Here are some troubleshooting tips if you are not receiving notifications for Google Messages chats that should be unmuted:

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are not receiving notifications from a chat that should be unmuted, try these troubleshooting steps:

Ensure notifications are enabled for Google Messages – Open the Google Messages app, go to Settings > Notifications and confirm notifications are turned on.

Check if the chat was archived – Archived chats will not send notifications. Open the chat and unarchive it.
Confirm notification settings for Google Messages in your device OS – Go to the system settings on your Android or iOS device and confirm notifications are allowed for the Google Messages app.

Additionally, check that Do Not Disturb mode is not enabled on your device, as this will mute notifications. If issues persist, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Google Messages app.

Additional Notification Customization

Android provides several ways to customize notifications for Google Messages beyond muting specific chats. You can set different notification tones, enable or disable notification lights, and configure pop-up notifications.

To customize notification tones, open the Google Messages app and tap the three-dot menu in the top right. Go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced > Sound. Here you can set a default notification sound for all new messages. You can also customize tones for individual chats – when in a chat, tap the contact name at the top and select Notifications to choose a unique tone.

To enable or disable notification lights, go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced and toggle the “Pulse notification light” option. This makes your phone’s LED light flash when new messages arrive.

For pop-up notifications, go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced > Pop on screen. Enable this to make message notifications appear as pop-ups over your current screen. You can choose between full screen or heads up pop-ups.

Customizing these additional notification settings helps you control when and how Google Messages alerts you about new messages. Set tones, lights, and pop-ups to your preferences for your ideal messaging experience.

Conclusion

In summary, there are a few main steps to mute notification disruptions from group chats on Google Messages.

To mute notifications from all group chats, you can turn off notifications for all conversations in the app’s settings. To mute a specific group chat, open the group details and toggle off the notifications.

You can also customize notifications per chat – muting in-chat sounds, vibration, LED light, etc. This gives flexibility to control which type of notifications are disruptive.

If you ever need to unmute a chat, the process is just as easy by going back into the group details and toggling notifications back on.

By muting Google Messages group chats, you can focus on your priorities without constant disruptions. But you still have control to check messages on your own terms by customizing to your preference.