With the iPhone 15 just around the corner, the chances are you've never been involved in more iMessage group chats than you have right now. With more and more of your friends piling on board, there's no doubt you're probably in too many group chats.
Group chat fatigue is real, especially when you consider that there are so many messaging apps most people are now involved in. iOS 17 brings some cool changes and new features to messaging, but thankfully leaving a group chat hasn't changed, so it won't be any different in September when the new iPhones roll around. Here's how to leave a group chat in the Messages app on your iPhone.
We’ll also show you how to mute notifications if you don’t want to be rude but want some peace and quiet for a little while.
How to leave a group chat on iPhone
- Open the conversation you want to leave in the Messages app
- Tap the members icon at the top of the chat
- Tap Leave this Conversation
- Tap Leave this Conversation again to confirm
It’s as simple as that, be gone pesky notifications! But, of course, if you would rather mute the conversation so you can return to it later, there’s an easy way to mute messages too.
How to mute notifications from group chats on iPhone
- Open the conversation you want to leave in the Messages app
- Tap the member icons at the top of the chat
- Toggle on Hide Alerts
- Alternatively, swipe left on a chat in the Messages app and tap the purple mute box.
Silence is golden
After you mute your first group chat, you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it sooner. A few months ago, I had a cathartic experience where I left obsolete group chats and muted others to tidy up my Messages app. Now, iMessage doesn’t feel like it’s bogging down my device, and I also saved some storage by leaving the content-heavy chats.
The best iPhones are those you’re in control of, not those that clog up your social life. So start the spring clean by leaving group chats in iMessage that are no longer active or you no longer want to be a part of, and start appreciating your conversations with the people you care about more.
iMessage even has ways to play games with your friends on iOS 16, and I’ve found that by removing many unwanted chats, I can now focus on what matters most - beating my friends at 8 ball pool.
Why can't I leave a group chat on iPhone?
It's only possible to leave a group chat on iPhone if there are three other people in the thread and all the devices in the group are Apple devices. If the chat is too small, or one of the members has Android, you won't be able to leave.
