self

How to Remove Yourself From a Group Text

Photo: Hans Neleman/Getty Images

Let me start by saying that all of my loved ones are angels, and I treasure every word and thought that comes out of their perfect heads. Sometimes, though, I find myself lassoed into a group text that's made up of one of my angel friends, and three of their friends, and five of their friends' friends, and also someone's roommate's cousin. Maybe this group was assembled as a way the logistics of a bachelorette party, or so someone could tell a story to multiple groups of friends at once without having to repeat the details in different chats. Whatever the original reason for the group text was, over time, it morphs into something hellish and unruly. One day, you look down at your incessantly buzzing phone and realize that, for your own sanity, you have to remove yourself from it.

So how do you remove yourself from a group text?

If you have an iPhone, it's easy. You simply open the group text you want to leave, tap the top of the conversation where it shows everyone's name, or whatever you named the group text (Megyn's Last Hurrah 2k19!!!!), and click the little "info" button, which will take you to a "Details page." Scroll to the bottom of that and then press "Leave This Conversation." And presto, you're out. Other people will be able to see that you left, but that's a small price to pay for freedom. If you don't want to leave the conversation entirely, though, you can always mute it.

If you have an Android, it's a little more complicated, because there isn't a "Leave This Conversation" equivalent. You can delete the group text, but it will reappear whenever someone replies to it. Your best bet is probably to mute the conversation, which you can do by following the steps laid out here.

Apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp can also ensnare you in an overly chatty group message. On Facebook Messenger, you can click the names of the people in the group at the top of the chat, which will open a settings page. When you scroll to the very bottom, there will be a red button that says "Leave Chat." This will notify people you've left, so if you want to be more subtle, you can also press "Ignore Messages," which will mute the conversation.

On WhatsApp, the process is almost identical. Click on the group name, scroll down to the bottom of the settings page that pops up, and click "Exit Group."

Then, after you've followed all of these steps, you can collect a large and disparate group of friends in a group text to celebrate!

How to Remove Yourself From a Group Text