WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, allowing users to easily communicate with friends, family and coworkers. One useful WhatsApp feature is the ability to hide chats so they do not show up on your main chat screen. This can help declutter your interface and keep certain conversations private.
There are a couple different ways to hide WhatsApp chats on both iPhone and Android devices. Here is a detailed look at how to hide chats in WhatsApp without showing them on your screen.
Hide an Individual Chat
If you just want to hide one specific chat, it is easy to do so right within that chat’s settings.
On iPhone
Follow these steps to hide a single chat on iPhone:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to hide
- Tap on the contact’s name at the top of the chat window
- Scroll down and tap “Hide Chat”
- Confirm by tapping “Hide Chat” again
This chat will now be hidden from your main chats list. To view it again, you can unhide it using the same steps.
On Android
Here is how to hide an individual chat on Android:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to hide
- Tap the three vertical dots icon in the top right
- Tap “More”
- Choose “Hide chat”
- Confirm by tapping “Hide chat” again
The chat will disappear from your main chat list. To unhide it, follow the same steps.
Hide Multiple Chats
You can also choose to mass hide multiple WhatsApp chats rather than just a single conversation.
On iPhone
On an iPhone, you can hide multiple chats by:
- Going to the Chats tab in WhatsApp
- Tapping “Edit” in the top right corner
- Tapping the circle icon beside each chat you want to hide to select it
- Tapping “Hide” after selecting all desired chats
- Tapping “Hide Chats” to confirm
This will hide all the selected chats. To later unhide them:
- Tap “Edit” in the chats list
- Tap “Unhide” beside each hidden chat
On Android
To mass hide chats on an Android device:
- Open the WhatsApp chats list
- Tap the three dotted menu icon
- Choose “Hide chats”
- Check the box beside each chat you want to hide
- Tap “Hide” to confirm
The checked chats will all be hidden from your main list. You can later unhide them by repeating the same process.
Hide Read Chats
Another option is to hide all chats that you have already read. This can help reduce clutter by only showing unread conversations.
On iPhone
On an iPhone, you can hide read chats by:
- Going to WhatsApp Settings
- Tapping Chats
- Toggling on “Hide Read Chats”
This will automatically hide any chats after you view and read the messages in them. New messages in hidden chats will still give notifications.
On Android
To hide read chats on Android:
- Open WhatsApp Settings
- Tap Chats
- Enable “Hide read chats”
Again, this will hide chats after you view them so only unread ones remain visible.
Hide Chats Without Notifications
By default, hiding a chat still allows notifications to come through for new messages. However, you can disable notifications for specific chats on both iPhone and Android.
On iPhone
To hide a chat without notifications on an iPhone:
- Open the chat you want to hide
- Tap the contact’s name
- Toggle off “Notifications”
- Scroll down and tap “Hide Chat”
This completely mutes notifications for this particular chat.
On Android
On Android, open a chat and:
- Tap the three dots icon
- Tap “More”
- Tap “Mute notifications”
- Select how long to mute
- Tap “Hide chat” to hide it
The chat will now be hidden and muted.
Hide Chats Using Archive
WhatsApp also has an Archived Chats feature that can help hide conversations. Archiving removes chats from your main list but still keeps them accessible.
On iPhone
To archive a chat on iPhone:
- Swipe left on the chat in your list
- Tap “Archive”
This removes the chat from your main view. To view archived chats:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings
- Tap “Chats”
- Tap “Archived Chats”
On Android
On Android, tap and hold a chat, then tap “Archive”. This will remove it from your main chat list.
To view archived chats on Android:
- Tap the three dots menu icon
- Tap “Archived chats”
Archiving provides a different way to effectively hide WhatsApp chats.
Conclusion
WhatsApp makes it simple to hide conversations right from your chat list screen. You can hide individual chats, multiple selected chats, or entire categories like read chats. Muting notifications provides even more control over hidden chats.
With all of these WhatsApp features, you can easily declutter your interface and keep private conversations out of sight but still accessible if needed. Hiding chats can help you stay organized and focused on the WhatsApp messages that matter most to you.