How do I stop chat app notifications? Most of us get too many mobile notifications. These distance us from our goal and force us to check our phones constantly.
It is boring for us and doubly so for the people with whom we are. Chat apps are one of the worst offenders, but notifications shouldn’t be a problem.
How to stop chat app notifications
To that end, let’s take a look at the built-in notification controls for the main messaging apps. Namely, WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger. We will also examine how to use the Android and iOS notification controls for other applications that may annoy you.
Managing notifications on Android
WhatsApp on Android
In WhatsApp, press the three-dot Menu button and choose Settings> Notifications.
Here you will find a variety of options. These are divided into two main headers: message notifications and group notifications. The message settings are for one-on-one conversations, while the group is for group discussions.
In each of them, you will find the following parameters:
Notification tone: Select a sound to listen to for incoming messages. You may want to change this to be able to distinguish it from SMS or other
- Notifications. Choose None for silence.
- Vibrator: Disables the vibration or goes from the default value to the short or long value.
- Pop-up notification: Indicate if WhatsApp should display a pop-up window on your current activity when a message arrives. You can turn it off or on or choose to only display it when the screen is on or off.
- Light: Choose a color for LED light notifications, if your device has one.
- Use high priority notifications: Enable this option to display previews of messages in your status bar as they arrive, and keep them at the top of your notification bar.
Below, you can change the Ringtone and Vibrate options for incoming calls, if you use WhatsApp for calls. If you do not want to hear the in-removal application as a “pop” when you send a message, uncheck the conversation tones at the top. You can also press Menu to go to Reset notification settings and start again.
Telegram on Android
Like WhatsApp, these notifications are divided into message notifications for individuals and group notifications for group discussions. Most of them are identical to WhatsApp above. Telegram’s specific options are Message Preview and Importance.
Turn off Preview Message and you won’t see the content of the message on your lock screen. Use the Importance selector to choose from the four priority levels of Android on Oreo and later versions, which we will discuss below.
Telegram offers you more options than WhatsApp. Scroll down and you can turn off various built-in notifications, change the ringtone for voice calls, and turn off notifications sent by Telegram when one of your contacts joins. You will find Reset all notifications at the bottom to start again.
Facebook Messenger on Android
In Facebook Messenger, tap your profile photo in the upper right corner and choose Notifications & Sounds. Here you will find a similar set of controls for the above applications. You can turn off notification previews, turn off sound, light, or vibration, and change the sound and ringtone.
Unfortunately, Messenger does not allow you to personalize individual conversations outside of muting notifications. Tap the Info icon at the top right of a chat and choose Notifications to do so.
General Android controls for notifications
Open settings> Applications and notifications> View all X applications to see all of your applications. Tap an app and choose Notifications to change its alert. You can do this for all applications, not just email.
For example, you can block notifications of Twitch’s live events but keep them for the media. Tap a notification category and you can choose a behavior (level of urgency). You will find four parameters. The most urgent makes a sound appear on your screen, while the least urgent remains silent and is reduced in your notification tray.
Not all applications allow this. If you open the settings of an application that does not use the notification channels (or if you are using Android 7 Nougat or an earlier version), your only option is a simple on / off switch.
Managing notifications on iOS
WhatsApp on iOS
Open WhatsApp and tap Settings in the bottom bar. Choose Notifications to access the corresponding menu.
You will find a scene similar to the Android version. You can choose to turn off notifications for messages or group chats and change the sound for each. Disable Show preview if you do not want the message text to appear in notifications.
Tap Notifications in the app to access a few more options. Here you can choose Banners, Alerts or None for notifications. The banners display a brief message at the top of the screen, while the alerts require you to enter them before they disappear.
You can also globally turn off sounds or vibrations for WhatsApp here. To change the settings for a particular chat, tap the contact or group name at the top, then tap Custom notifications.
Telegram on iOS
In Telegram, press Settings at the bottom and choose Notifications and sounds. Here you have access to a similar set of options. For individual and group conversations, you can choose to display message previews. Disable the Alert slider to completely block notifications.
Use Sound to choose a new tone for notifications. Open the Exceptions entry and you will see all conversations where you have set special notification options.
To create a new exception, open a conversation, tap its name and choose Info. On the resulting page, tap Edit at the top right and you can choose a new sound as well as turn off notifications.
At the bottom of the notification settings page, you can turn off in-app sounds and reset your options.
Facebook Messenger on iOS
Facebook Messenger on iOS is very similar to the Android version described above. Tap your profile photo in the upper right corner and choose Notifications to access its settings. Here you can switch between Do Not Disturb and Show Previews. Select Notifications in Messenger to switch between individual settings.
General iOS notification controls
If you want to change the alerts for another application, iOS provides a way to manage notifications.Go to Settings> Notifications and you can scroll through all the apps on your phone that send notifications.
Choose one and you will have several options to configure. Disable the Allow notifications slider to block notifications. If it’s too much, you can set the sound to None to keep it quiet.
This page also allows you to hide alerts from an application, in case you are concerned that private information may appear where someone might see it. If you wish, you can also replace the alert banners with Persistent so that they do not disappear until you have removed them.
Keep your notifications under control
Obviously we cannot cover all messaging applications. But Android and iOS allow you to adjust notifications for all apps if they send you too many. Whether it’s a friend blocking you with memes or an out-of-control group chat, you have control over the notifications you see.
With custom sounds for different chats, disabled notifications for boring chats, and alert banners the way you want, your phone can be more useful than annoying.