Chat heads are the small profile icon bubbles that pop up when you get a new Facebook Messenger message. They allow you to quickly view and reply to new messages without having to open the Messenger app. However, some users find chat heads annoying or distracting, especially if they get a lot of messages. Here are some ways to disable or get rid of chat heads on Facebook Messenger.
Turn Off Chat Heads in Messenger Settings
The easiest way to disable chat heads is directly within the Messenger settings:
- Open the Messenger app on your phone.
- Tap your profile photo in the top left corner.
- Tap “settings” or the gear icon in the bottom right.
- Tap “Notifications.”
- Toggle off “Chat Heads.”
This will prevent any new chat heads from appearing when you get a new message. However, it will not remove any existing chat heads already on your screen – see the next section for that.
Removing Current Chat Heads
To fully get rid of chat heads, you’ll also want to remove any existing ones on your screen:
- Tap and hold on the chat head you want to remove.
- Drag it up to the “Remove” icon at the top of the screen.
- Release your finger to remove it.
- Repeat for any other chat heads on your screen.
This will completely remove the chat head. Just be aware it will come back if you get a new message, unless you’ve disabled chat heads in the settings.
Disable Pop-Up Notifications for Messenger
In addition to chat heads, Messenger also displays pop-up notifications when you get a new message. You can turn these off separately:
- Open your phone’s main Settings app.
- Tap “Notifications.”
- Tap “Messenger.”
- Toggle off “Allow notifications.”
This will prevent any pop-ups from Messenger, but chat heads may still appear.
CustomizeNotification Settings on Android
On Android, you have more granular control over Messenger notifications:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap “Apps & notifications.”
- Tap “Messenger.”
- Tap “Notifications.”
- Toggle notification categories on or off individually.
This allows you to disable chat heads specifically while keeping other notification types like sounds or vibrations.
Stop Specific Chats from Displaying Chat Heads
If you only want to stop chat heads from certain people, you can customize it on a chat-by-chat basis:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Tap on the conversation you want to customize.
- Tap the contact’s name at the top.
- Tap “Customize Notifications.”
- Toggle off “Chat Heads.”
This will disable chat heads for messages from this person only. You can repeat the process for any other chats you want to customize.
Mute Conversations to Stop Chat Heads
Another option is to mute chats instead of customizing notifications:
- Open the conversation.
- Tap the contact’s name.
- Tap “Mute notifications.”
Muting a chat will disable all notifications from that person, including chat heads. You can unmute the chat at any time to turn notifications back on.
Use Do Not Disturb to Temporarily Disable Chat Heads
If you just want to temporarily turn off chat heads, enable Do Not Disturb mode on your phone:
Android Do Not Disturb
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap “Sound.”
- Tap “Do not disturb.”
- Toggle on “Do not disturb” and customize the settings.
This will silence all notifications, calls, and chat heads while Do Not Disturb is enabled. Just don’t forget to turn it off when you want notifications again.
iPhone Do Not Disturb
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap “Do Not Disturb.”
- Toggle on “Do Not Disturb” and customize the settings.
You can also quickly enable Do Not Disturb on iPhone by swiping down from the top right corner to access Control Center, then tapping the moon icon. This is useful for quickly silencing notifications for a short period of time.
Prevent Chat Heads from Specific Contacts
If you only want to stop seeing chat heads from certain people, there are a couple options:
Block Contacts
Blocking a contact in Messenger will stop all messages and notifications from that person, including chat heads:
- Open your conversation with the contact.
- Tap their name at the top.
- Scroll down and tap “Block [Name].”
- Confirm you want to block them.
A blocked contact won’t be able to message you or send any chat heads.
Unfriend or Unfollow on Facebook
Since Messenger links to your Facebook friends, you can also stop chat heads by unfriending or unfollowing someone on Facebook:
- Unfriend – Removes them from your Facebook friends list so they can no longer message or interact with you.
- Unfollow – Stops seeing their posts but remains Facebook friends. They can still message you.
In most cases, unfriending someone on Facebook will be the best option to completely stop chat heads and notifications from that person.
Troubleshoot Chat Heads Not Disappearing
If you’re still seeing chat heads after trying the steps to disable them, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Force Stop Messenger
Sometimes simply force stopping the Messenger app can help recalibrate things and stop errant chat heads:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Tap “Apps.”
- Tap “Messenger.”
- Tap “Force stop.”
Give Messenger a few minutes after force stopping, then check if chat heads are still appearing.
Restart Your Phone
If force stopping the app doesn’t work, try restarting your phone altogether:
- Hold down the Power button on your phone.
- Tap “Restart” or “Power off.”
- Wait for your phone to fully shut down, then power it back on.
Restarting your phone will force close all apps and processes and may fix any glitches with chat heads.
Clear App Data and Cache
As a last resort, clearing Messenger’s app data and cache can reset things to default settings:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Tap “Apps.”
- Tap “Messenger.”
- Tap “Storage.”
- Tap “Clear cache” then “Clear data.”
Be aware this will sign you out of Messenger and delete your local messages, so only do this if nothing else has worked.
Use Alternative Messaging Apps
If you really want to avoid chat heads altogether, consider using a different messaging app instead of Messenger:
| App | Chat Heads? |
|---|---|
| No | |
| Telegram | No |
| Signal | No |
Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal have similar messaging functionality without the chat heads feature that can be annoying to some users. Just keep in mind you’ll need to convince your friends and family to switch over as well!
Conclusion
Chat heads are either a useful feature or an annoying distraction depending on your preferences. Thankfully, Facebook provides many options to disable or customize chat heads within Messenger and Android/iOS settings. Trying steps like turning off chat heads, muting conversations, using Do Not Disturb, or even blocking contacts can help eliminate distracting chat heads.
But if they still persist, troubleshooting steps like force stopping, restarting your device, or clearing app data can help. And as a last resort, migrating your conversations to alternative messaging apps without chat heads is an option if you want to avoid them altogether.
Hopefully with the right combination of settings, you can successfully remove chat heads from Messenger and focus without constant pop-up interruptions. Let us know if any other tips or tricks have worked for you in the comments!