Notifications appear on the devices you used most recently. If you’re not active in Chat, notifications appear on all devices signed in to your Google Account.
You automatically receive notifications when you create or respond to a message or if someone @mentions you.
If you mute a specific conversation or set your Chat status to “Do not disturb,” you won’t receive notifications.
In this article, learn how to:
- Turn notifications on or off.
- Customize notifications for specific conversations & spaces.
- Customize notification sounds.
- Get notifications in the Chat mobile app.
- Update device or browser notification settings for Chat on a computer.
Tips:
- If email notifications are on, you get email reminders for Chat messages you haven’t read for more than 12 hours.
- If you have multiple Google Accounts, you can set different notification settings for each account.
Turn Google Chat notifications on or off
Turn on notifications in the Google Chat app
- Open the Chat app
.
- At the top left, tap Menu
Settings
.
- Under “Notifications,” turn “Mobile notifications” on.
Tip: If you don’t get notifications, make sure “Do not disturb” is off and notifications in your mobile device settings are on.
Turn on Google Chat notifications in the Gmail app
- Open the Gmail app
.
- At the top left, tap Menu
Settings
- Select your account.
- Under "Notifications," check the box next to “Chat notifications.”
Tip: If you don’t get notifications, make sure “Do not disturb” is off and notifications in your mobile device settings are on.
Turn off notifications in the Google Chat app
- Open the Chat app
- At the top left, tap Menu
- Under “Notifications,” turn “Mobile notifications” off.
Tips:
- If you still get notifications, you can turn off Google Chat app notifications in your mobile device settings.
- To temporarily mute notifications, set your status to “Do not disturb.”
Turn off Google Chat notifications in the Gmail app
- Open the Gmail app
- At the top left, tap Menu
- Select your account.
- Under "Notifications," uncheck the box next to “Chat notifications.”
Tips:
- If you still get notifications, you can turn off Google Chat app notifications in your mobile device settings.
- To temporarily mute notifications, set your status to “Do not disturb.”
Customize Google Chat notifications for spaces & direct messages
Customize notifications for a space with in-line threadingBy default, only threads you follow are bolded and moved to the top of your conversation list. To control how thread updates show in Chat, customize your notification settings.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chat app
.
- In Gmail: At the bottom, tap Chat
.
- In Gmail: At the bottom, tap Chat
- Select the Spaces tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap and hold a space
- Select an option for notifications:
- All: Notifications for all new messages and replies to threads.
- Tip: If you select “All,” it automatically follows all new threads for that space. To unfollow a thread, tap Active Threads
- Tip: If you select “All,” it automatically follows all new threads for that space. To unfollow a thread, tap Active Threads
- Main conversations: Notifications for all new main conversations, @mentions, and replies to threads you follow.
- For you: Notifications for @mentions and replies to threads you follow.
- None: No notifications, just an indicator for @mentions.
- All: Notifications for all new messages and replies to threads.
- Optional: To prevent the conversation from being bolded and moved to the top of your conversation list, select the box next to "Mute conversation."
Tip: When you follow a thread in a space, you’re notified with a blue dot whenever there’s activity in that thread unless that space is muted.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chat app
.
- Tap and hold a direct message.
- Tap Notification settings.
- Select All or None.
- Optional: To prevent the conversation from being bolded and moved to the top of your conversation list, select the box next to "Mute conversation."
Customize Google Chat notification sounds
- Open the Chat app
- At the top left, tap Menu
- Under "Notifications," tap Notification sound.
- To update the notification sound or its volume, in the window that displays, tap Sound or See more for additional settings which include:
- Toggle to allow notifications
- Toggle to show notifications as pop-up
- Toggle to Vibrate
- Options for Lock screen
- Toggle for App icon badges
Tip: To turn off notification sounds, select None.
- Open the Gmail app
- At the top left, tap Menu
- Tap General settings
- On the “Sound” screen, pick the notification sound you want to use.
- On some Android phones, to save your notification sound, at the top right, tap Save.
Troubleshoot issues with Google Chat notifications
Prevent multiple notificationsTo avoid duplicate mobile notifications from the Gmail and Chat apps, in your device’s settings, turn off Google Chat app notifications.
- On your device, open the Settings app.
- Tap Notifications
- If you don't find "Chat," update the list to show all apps:
- At the top, tap the Down arrow
- At the top, tap the Down arrow
- If you don't find "Chat," update the list to show all apps:
- Turn “All Chat notifications” off.
Get notifications in the Google Chat mobile app
When the Google Chat mobile app is open, you get notifications in the app.
You won’t get notifications:
- Online at chat.google.com
- In the Chat desktop app
- In Chat in Gmail
When the Chat app is open, you get the message "You're receiving Chat notifications here.” Learn more about the Chat standalone app.
Important: When iPhone or iPad users get messages from you, your profile picture could also appear on the notifications. Learn how to change your profile picture.
Related resources
- Change your availability status in Google Chat
- I’m not getting Google Chat notifications
- Install the Google Chat standalone app
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