As a mobile phone reviewer, I cycle between gadgets fairly often, because of my work. Each time I switch to a new phone, one of the first things I do is disable or stop pop-up notifications on Telegram and WhatsApp. I like to work without distractions, and all those notifications popping up to display incoming message previews every other minute are distracting.
I remember searching for how to get rid of these message pop-ups. I would come across one article or the other that offered a solution, and it would turn out to be a waste of my time. Having figured it out, it occured to me to put it into writing for the benefit of those who are searching too.
Not only are these message previews distracting to you, they are also a privacy concern. You never know when anyone is standing behind or beside you when a message comes in and gets previewed on your screen.
It doesn’t matter what brand of smartphone you are using – Samsung Galaxy, Apple iPhone, Xiaomi/Redmi, Motorola, OnePlus, or TECNO, at some point on time, you will want to stop pop-up notifications from these messaging apps previewing your messages on your phone screen.
Chatting on WhatsApp and Telegram becomes a nightmare when you are in a public space and have nosey parkers not minding their business around you. Anyway, you probably already know all of these. Let’s get to how to actually turn off those pop-up message previews.
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Stop pop-up notifications on Telegram and WhatsApp with these steps
Any article that directs you only to the notifications settings of your Android smartphone to disable those message preview pop-up notifications is wasting your time. Rather, you will find the solution in the settings menu of each app. Let’s walk through it.
Disable incoming message heads-up notifications for Telegram messages
- Open your Telegram app and tap on the hamburger menu at the top left corner.
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on Notifications and Sounds.
- Under Notifications for chats, select Private Chats.
- On the next page, you will see Message Preview, and a toggle in front of it. Disable that toggle, and that’s it.
Once you have done this, Telegram will no longer pop-up a notification at the top of your screen when you get a new message.
Disable heads-up notifications for WhatsApp messages
To stop WhatsApp from displaying a preview of incoming messages on your screen, follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp on your smartphone.
- Tap the menu icon at the right top corner of the app.
- Select Notifications.
- Look for the item that says “Use high priority notifications“. This is the setting that enables or disables previews of incoming messages at the top of your screen. Toggle it off.
Doing this prevents the pop-up from displaying message previews on your screen, but the notification will still pop-up. Your privacy is secured, but it is still distracting. There is one more thing to do.
One more thing to do to stop pop-up notifications on Telegram and WhatsApp from showing on your phone screen
Now, go to the settings menu of your phone. Select Apps. One after the other, select each app, select Notifications, then toggle off the Banners item.
That’s it. You are now free to use WhatsApp without it invading your screen with message previews.
Note that you will still get an audio notification when messages come in. A notification icon will still be displayed In the notification bar at the top of your phone. And you will still be able to swipe down to read and respond to the message, should you need to, without leaving what you are presently doing.
That’s it. You now know how to stop pop-up notifications for Telegram and WhatsApp and not have incoming message previews displayed at the top of your display. Enjoy using your smartphone without their distractions and without the risk of having sensitive information displayed for nosey eyes to see.