Having Google Chat notifications pop up constantly can really mess with your concentration, especially when you’re trying to focus. Knowing how to silence these alerts can seriously boost your productivity. Here’s how to get it done on both your phone and your desktop.
Muting Google Chat Notifications on Mobile
Muting notifications in the Google Chat mobile app is pretty straightforward. Here’s how to do it on both Android and iOS.
On Android devices
- Launch the Google Chat app on your Android device.
- Tap on the Active status icon in the upper-left corner.
- Select how long you want notifications to be muted.
After choosing a duration, you’ll see the time until when your notifications are silenced displayed in that same spot.
On iOS devices
- Open the Google Chat app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap the menu icon (those three lines) at the top-left.
- Tap your Active status to see the availability options.
- Then, tap Do not disturb from the list.
- Choose how long you want to silence notifications by tapping your preferred option.
After choosing the duration, you can double-check the mute status by tapping the menu icon again. You’ll see when notifications are set to come back on.
Muting Google Chat Notifications on Desktop
Controlling alerts on the desktop version of Google Chat is just as easy.
- Go to chat.google.com in your browser and log in.
- Click your Active status at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select Do not disturb from the dropdown menu.
- Pick the amount of time you’d like notifications muted by clicking the time frame you want. They’ll come back on automatically after that.
After setting it up, you can always check when your notifications will be back on by looking at your status in the same location.
Reducing notifications for group chats
Group chats can be pretty intense with all the notifications. Here’s how to dial them down so you only get alerts when you’re mentioned.
- In Google Chat on the web, find the group chat you need to adjust.
- Click the three dots (more options) next to the group’s name.
- Select Notifications from the dropdown.
- Choose Notify less to only get notifications when you’re mentioned, then click Save to confirm.
You’ll see a confirmation message appear at the bottom of the screen after you’ve saved the changes.
If you’d rather get no notifications from the group at all, select Notifications off. Keep in mind that you’ll still get a notification if someone specifically mentions you in the chat.
