Three simple tools keep a busy chat list calm: Pin keeps important chats at the top, Archive hides chats without deleting them, and Mute silences notifications.
Pin a chat (up to 3)
- Android: press and hold the chat, then tap the pin icon at the top.
- iPhone: swipe the chat to the right and tap Pin.
- To unpin, do the same again. You can pin up to three chats.
Pin a message inside a chat
Press and hold a message and tap Pin (Android: ⋮ › Pin). Choose how long: 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. It shows in a bar at the top of the chat. Handy for an address or a meeting time in a group. In groups, admins may limit who can pin.
Archive a chat
- Android: press and hold the chat, then tap the archive icon (a box with a down arrow) at the top.
- iPhone: swipe the chat to the left and tap Archive.
Archived chats move into the Archived section at the top of your chat list (scroll up or pull down if you don't see it). Nothing is deleted. To bring one back, open Archived, press and hold (Android) or swipe left (iPhone), and tap Unarchive.
By default an archived chat stays archived even when new messages come. To change this, go to Settings › Chats and switch off Keep chats archived.
Mute a chat or group
- Android: press and hold the chat › tap the bell-with-a-line icon. Or open the chat › ⋮ › Mute notifications.
- iPhone: swipe the chat to the left › More › Mute, or open the chat, tap the name › Mute.
- Choose 8 hours, 1 week or Always.
Muted chats still get messages and show the unread count; you just are not disturbed. If someone @mentions you or replies to you in a muted group, you may still be notified.
If it doesn't work
- Can't pin: you already have 3 pinned chats. Unpin one first.
- Chat "disappeared": check Archived at the top of the list, and the chat filters (All, Unread, Groups) just above your chats.
- Muted chat still makes noise: check you chose "Always" and not 8 hours.
Safety tip
Archiving only hides a chat; anyone using your phone can still open it. To really protect a private chat, use Chat lock.
This is GroupChatOn’s own easy guide. We are not WhatsApp and are not linked with WhatsApp or Meta. WhatsApp sometimes changes its menus: if a button looks different on your phone, update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store.
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