At best. At worst it is both a privacy threat and a irritation. A privacy threat because you are forced into installing a new app. And an irritant because any of your Facebook ‘friends’ can message you, and by default you will get a notification somewhat akin to receiving an SMS. And you might not want to be disturbed every time someone you went to school with sends you a bit of spam. Recently a group of my former university colleagues have undergone what can only be described as a collective mid-life crisis, establishing a Messenger group of some 50 people in the hopes of organising a reunion weekend. Being in regular touch with many good friends from my university days (as well as, you know, my wife), I have little interest in traveling for four or five hours in order to drink snakebite and black with people I haven’t seen for 15 years. But I also retain a healthy regard for almost all of the 50 people in the chat, and don’t wish to be seen to be so rude as to be leaving the conversation. I like them. I just don’t want to be spammed by them. (You might also like: How to block Candy Crush Saga and other app requests on Facebook.) Because, reader, the notifications. A few people were very excited by the idea of the gathering, and weren’t afraid to express that. For a couple of weeks my phone was constantly pinging to let me know that someone I vaguely remember was recommending a nightclub in a town I haven’t visited for a decade. And it transpires that not all of my erstwhile student colleagues sleep the same hours as me. Not great for me, and even less great when you consider that a large proportion of the people ‘in’ the chat had also failed to respond. And most of those people are professionals with children – not the kind of people who wish to be woken up at all hours by unsolicited notifications. You can always leave a Facebook Messenger chat, of course. Just exit the conversation and walk away. But this story is for those times when you don’t want to leave a Facebook Messenger conversation, but you do want to mute the notifications.You want to retain your sanity without burning a contact. Here’s how to switch off notifications in Facebook Messenger. Switch off notifications in Facebook Messenger iPhone app, switch off notifications in Facebook Messenger Android app, switch off notifications in Facebook Messenger iPad app, switch off notifications in Facebook Messenger Windows Phone app. (See all Facebook tips.) —
Facebook Messenger poll
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Turn off notification alerts on the online Messenger app
To turn off Messenger notifications for all conversations on the online Facebook Messenger app: Open the Messenger app. Tap the menu button and select Settings. Use the checkbox next to Notifications to turn notifications on or off. To turn off notifications for just a single conversation: View the conversation Tap the menu button and select Mute conversation Select ON, OFF or OFF for 1 hour. (Also read: How to stop Facebook automatically playing videos.) —
Turn off notification alerts on the Android Messenger app
To turn off Messenger notifications for all conversations on the Android Messenger app: Open the Messenger app. Tap Tap Notifications, and use the toggle to turn notifications On or Off Choose whether you’d like to Turn off for 1h or Turn off until 8am To turn off notifications for a single conversation: Press and hold a conversation Tap Mute notifications Select For 1 Hour, Until 8:00 AM or Until I turn it back on
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Turn off notification alerts on the iPhone Messenger app.
To turn off Messenger notifications for all conversations on the iPhone Messenger app: Open the Messenger app Tap Settings Tap Notifications, then choose whether you’d like to Turn off for 1h or Turn off until 8am To turn off notifications for a single conversation: Swipe left on a conversation Tap Mute Select For 1 Hour, Until 8:00 AM or Until I turn it back on (You might also like: What happens to Facebook, Twitter, Google accounts and data when you die?) —
Turn off notification alerts on the iPad Messenger app.
To turn off Messenger notifications for all conversations on the iPad Messenger app: Open the Messenger app Tap Settings Tap Notifications, then choose whether you’d like to Turn off for 1h or Turn off until 8am To turn off notifications for a single conversation: Swipe left on a conversation Tap Mute Select For 1 Hour, Until 8:00 AM or Until I turn it back on —
Turn off notification alerts on the Windows Phone Messenger app.
To turn off Messenger notifications for all conversations: Open the Messenger app. Tap the menu button (three dots) and select settings. Tap notifications and select whether you’d like to turn off for 1h or turn off until 8am. To turn off notifications for a single conversation: Press and hold a conversation Tap mute Select mute, mute for 1h or mute until 8am (See also: How to hide years on your Facebook timeline.) Matt Egan is Global Editorial Director of IDG, publisher of Tech Advisor, and a passionate technology fan who writes on subjects as diverse as smartphones, internet security, social media and Windows.
