How To Hide Your Messages On Iphone 7

Customizing notifications and settings is important when you are trying to optimize your iPhone experience. If you receive a lot of text messages, particularly from one or a few specific conversations, then you might be interested in learning what the "Hide Alerts" setting means for the Messages app on your iPhone.

Have you been exploring and experimenting with the menus and options in your iPhone's Messages app and found a setting called "Hide Alerts?" This is a cool option for your text message conversations that lets you mute the alerts and notifications that you would typically receive when you get a new text message. The alerts that it hides includes any notifications that would pop up for the conversation, as well as any audio that would play to indicate the arrival of a new message. This is particularly useful for conversations that are very active, such as those from a group text message conversation.

Our tutorial below will show you how to enable the Hide Alerts option for an iPhone text message conversation, as well as how to show alerts again for a conversation where they are hidden. We will also discuss customizing the notification settings for your messages, as well as address some common questions that arise concerning the use of the Hide Alerts feature.

How to Hide Text Message Alerts and Notifications on an iPhone

Open Messages.
Swipe left on a conversation.
Choose Hide Alerts.

Our article continues below with additional information on what hiding alerts means on an iPhone, including pictures for steps on adjusting that setting.

How to Hide Alerts for a Text Message Conversation on an iPhone 7

The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 7 Plus in iOS 11.4.1. These steps will also work on other iPhone models using the same version of iOS. If you don't see the Hide Alerts or Show Alerts button in the sections below, then you may be using an older version of iOS. Scroll down to our Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of the article to see an alternate way to hide alerts from the Info menu for the conversation.

Step 1: Open the Messages app.

Step 2: Swipe to the left on the text message conversation for which you wish to hide the alerts.

swipe left on conversation where you want to hide alerts

Step 3: Tap the Hide Alerts button.

what does hide alerts mean text message iphone

How to Stop Hiding Alerts for Text Messages on an iPhone

If you have previously hidden alerts for a text message conversation, or if you suspect that you may have hid them accidentally, then follow the steps in this section to start showing those alerts again.

Step 1: Open the Messages app.

Step 2: Swipe to the left on the text message conversation for which you want to show alerts.

swipe left on message with hidden alerts

Step 3: Tap the Show Alerts button.

how to show alerts for text message on iphone

How to Customize Notification Settings for Text Messages on an iPhone

If you don't want to hide alerts for your conversations, but you do want to choose the types of notifications that you receive, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Choose the Notifications option.

Step 3: Scroll down and select the Messages option.

Step 4: Modify the settings on this menu to control the types of notifications you receive for new text messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1 – Is Hide Alerts the Same Thing as Do Not Disturb?

Answer 1 – Yes, this does the same thing that the "Do Not Disturb" setting did for individual message conversations in older versions of iOS.

Question 2 – Is there another way to hide alerts for conversations on my iPhone?

Answer 2 – Yes, you can also hide alerts for a conversation by completing the following steps:

Open the Messages app.
Choose the conversation for which you want to hide alerts.
Tap the i button at the top-right of the screen.
Touch the button to the right of Hide Alerts.

In older versions of iOS this option might be called Do Not Disturb instead.

Question 3 – Can you hide alerts for iMessages as well as regular text messages?

Answer 3 – Yes, you can hide alerts for any text message conversation in your Messages app.

Question 4 – Can I hide alerts for a group message on my iPhone?

Answer 4 – Yes, you can hide alerts for group messages.

Question 5 – Will someone know if I have hid the alerts for a conversation with them?

Answer 5 – No, the other parties in your message conversation won't know that you have hid alerts.

Question 6 – How do I know if I have hid alerts for a conversation on my iPhone?

Answer 6 – A small half moon icon appears to the left of any conversation for which you have hid alerts.

Question 7 – Why aren't I receiving alerts for text messages even when I have alerts enabled and my notification settings seem to be correct?

Answer 7– Occasionally your alerts and notifications might simply stop working properly. In this case it's usually best to restart the iPhone by holding down the Power button for a few seconds, then moving the slider on the screen to the right to turn off the device. You can then restart the iPhone after it has shut down by pressing and holding the Power button again for a few seconds.

Are you running out of space on your iPhone? Read our guide on ways to free up space on your iPhone if you don't have enough room for music, movies, or new apps.

Additional Reading

Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.

He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office and many other popular applications and devices.