How to Disable Those Annoying Facebook Messenger Notifications

Daniel Howley
·Technology Editor

Facebook group messages usually start out innocuously enough. Maybe you’re talking with some friends about what you’ll all do for dinner, or which bar you’ll meet at after work.

But then suddenly the message thread spirals out of control in to a seemingly endless stream of emojis, cat pictures, and Trump GIFs. And with each message, you get another annoying notification alert.

But there’s a way to end this group messaging madness. Here’s how:

Open Facebook Messenger, and select the chat you want to silence.

If you’re using an Android device, tap the “i” icon in the upper right corner to bring up the notifications settings menu. Press Notifications and set the time limit for how long you want your alerts to be silenced. If you’re really tired of getting updates, just select Until I turn it back on, and tap OK.

If you’re using an iPhone, open the conversation you want to silence, tap the conversation’s subject line at the top of the screen, and press Notifications. Choose how long you want to keep your notifications silent, and you’re set.

Now your friends can annoy each other without annoying you.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.