Anyone who's gotten stuck in an unwanted group text knows how terrible it can be. Your phone blows up uncontrollably, and all you can do is hope the thread eventually quiets down.
Luckily, Apple added support way back in iOS 8 to easily remove yourself from an iMessage Group, and it's still here in iOS 16.
Android finally started offering an iMessage equivalent called Chat for all users in 2019. You can't leave a group message as you can an iMessage. But you can mute future updates so your phone doesn't keep alerting you every time someone responds to the group conversation.
Below, we'll walk you through how to opt out of a group text on your iOS and Android devices.
How to leave group texts on iMessage
1. Open the group text you want to leave
Remove yourself from group texts on iOS Credit: Apple
First step is to open the Messages app in iOS and select the Group message you'd like to leave.
2. Select the "Info" button
Step 2 for how to get out of group texts on iOS Credit: Apple
You'll want to tap right under the status bar on the images or initials of those in the Group chat. This will open a new drop-down menu, and you'll select the "info" button
3. Select "Leave this Conversation"
Remove yourself from group texts on iOS in three steps. Credit: Apple
Tapping the "info" button will bring you to the details section. Just select "Leave this Conversation" at the bottom of the screen, and you will be removed.
If the "Leave this Conversation" option is not shown, it means someone in the group text does not have iMessage on or isn't running the latest version of iOS. If that's the case, you won't be able to leave the conversation. The workaround is either to delete the message or mute notifications by selecting "Hide Alerts."
For Android users, Chat does not allow users to leave a conversation entirely. Instead, you'll need to mute the conversation (Google calls this "hiding" the conversation). The conversation will still live on in Chat, but your phone won't be constantly going off every time someone responds.
To mute a group text in Android, follow these steps:
1. Tap the group conversation.
2. At the top, tap the down arrow, then select "Hide Conversation."
If there's just one major offender on the group text, you unfortunately can't hide updates only from them. You must hide the entire group conversation. However, you can block that person from messaging you directly.
Group texts and chat rooms are some of the easiest ways to send love words to people that matter to you. On Christmas or Thanksgiving, people make use of this texting feature to send everyone their best wishes without having to compose messages individually. If you are planning a weekend potluck, it can also be the easiest way to send your invites to friends and plan the event as a group. But this feature can also get easily out of hand and when that happens, you would wonder how to remove yourself from a group text.
Perhaps, someone in your group message is too friendly that they’ve added a friend of a friend, who also added their roommate’s best friend. Some might also be fond of sending chain messages that ruin the experience for you. While we don’t encourage burning bridges, removing yourself from a group text is the easiest way out if you feel trapped in a room with strangers or if constant notifications overwhelm you.
How to Leave a Group Text on iMessage
iMessage first had the group text feature in 2013, which was received well by its users. It wasn’t long enough though when they also added the ability to leave a group text on Apple devices running on iOS 8. The system is not perfect and often, people find themselves flooded with group messages. If you are one of those people, here’s how you can remove yourself from a group text on iMessage.
- Launch iMessage and open the group conversation you want to leave.
- Tap on the group icon at the top of the group chat room. It’s the overlapping display photos of the group members.
- Click Info, scroll past the contacts, and select Leave this Conversation.
However, if someone in the group is not using iMessage, the option to leave a conversation will not be available. iMessage’s group chat feature will only work for those that are also using iMessage. If someone in the group is not using the app, your messages will be sent to them as individual standard messages. You would know that someone in the group is not using iMessage if your message is sending slower than it should or when your message bubble is green instead of blue.
A workaround here would be muting the conversation. It’s also a good alternative if you just want to get rid of notifications and don’t want to leave the conversation entirely. You can do this by toggling the “Hide alerts” switch button right before the option to leave.
Also read: Best Ways to Use iMessage
How to Remove Yourself From a Group Text on Google Messages
It took a while before Google was able to give Android users an iMessage equivalent. Thankfully, Google Messages came to the rescue, which gave the possibility to send messages over the Internet and create a group text. As with any group conversation, it also gives you the ability to abandon groups. Here’s how you can remove yourself from a group text on Android.
- Launch Google Messages on your Android phone and go to the group conversation you want to abandon.
- Go to group details by clicking on the menu button on the top right corner of the screen.
- Click on the leave group option at the bottom of your screen.
Similar to iMessage, Google Messages’ group chat feature wouldn’t work properly unless everyone in the group has the chatting ability of the app enabled. If a member has it disabled, your messages will appear as individual text and you will also receive their replies individually. In this case, you might get flooded with text messages from different people.
In this case, you can block their text messages on your Android phone, but a better alternative is to just disable notifications from them. That way, you can still easily see their messages if you don’t want to miss possible important messages per se. To disable someone’s text notification, go to the target conversation>message details>notifications and switch off the button next to “allow notifications”.
How About on Chat Apps?
Other than the default mobile messaging apps, there are other chat apps where you might find yourself flooded with unsolicited group messages. Some of these commonly used chat apps are Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, and Telegram. Thankfully, leaving group chats on these apps can’t be any easier, and here’s how.
On Facebook Messenger
- Launch Facebook Messenger and go to the target group message.
- Click on the information (i) icon at the top right corner of your screen.
- Scroll down until you reach the leave group option and click on it.
- Confirm that you want to leave the group.
Under the same page, you will see other options on how you can manage notifications from that particular Facebook Messenger group. You can disable the notification if you don’t want to get pings every time someone sends a message or ignore the group if you want to mark the messages as spam. Either way, they are better alternatives than everyone knowing you have left the group.
On Whatsapp
- Open Whatsapp and go to the group which you want to abandon.
- Click on the menu button at the top right corner and go to group info.
- Scroll down past the group member and click on Exit Group.
Similar to other chat apps, all the members will know when you leave a Whatsapp group. If you don’t want that, you can disable notifications instead by going to the group chat and clicking on the “mute notifications” option in the sidebar menu.
On Telegram
- Launch Telegram and go to the group conversation you want to leave.
- Launch the menu bar by clicking on the three-stack-up dots icon at the top right corner.
- Select the “Delete and leave group” option.
Alternatively, you can also choose to mute the group if you’d rather just manage notifications instead of leaving entirely.
Leaving a group text or a group chat may send a wrong message, given the fact that the other members would know it when you did. If you are having a hard time connecting with them, you can tell your reasons for leaving and show them some courtesy. It’s easier said than done, but it’s a way for them not to misunderstand you.