Do These 5 Things to Avoid Awkwardness in Your WhatsApp Chats

I’ve been using WhatsApp as my primary communication app for years, and in that time, I’ve encountered my fair share of awkward situations. But I learned from each experience, and here are a few tricks I use to keep from falling into them again.

Edit Your Messages, Don’t Delete

Sometimes, when I’m texting, my fingers move faster than my brain, and I’ve already sent a message before I think better of it.

The good news is that WhatsApp supports deleting messages, so I can quickly erase the text before anyone sees it. The bad news is that it leaves a big banner that says, “This message was deleted” every time I delete a message.

I get why they do this. It would otherwise be too easy for dishonest people to delete messages to present a false narrative. But still, broadcasting that I’ve just deleted a message only makes me look guilty and is practically an invitation for the other person to ask what I wrote before.

Fortunately, there’s a workaround to this problem. Instead of deleting a chat when you’ve written something you shouldn’t, edit it. There are no restrictions when you edit a message. You can change the entire text and send an entirely different message with no one the wiser.

You will get a little “Edited” subtext at the bottom of the message, but it’s not as glaring as the deleted banner, and most people will assume that you made a slight correction and not think too much of it.

Not Yet Ready to Respond? Mark as Unread

Have you ever received a message from someone, but after opening it, you realize you’re not ready to respond? You decide to reply later, but then other messages pile up, pushing that chat down the list, and you completely forget about it. By the time you finally remember, several days have passed, and replying now feels awkward. So, you end up doing nothing, leaving the person to think you’re ignoring them—possibly even damaging your friendship.

I’ve been in this situation too many times to count, and what helps me avoid it now is the “Mark As Unread” feature on WhatsApp. This feature brings back the unread chat badge so that you don’t accidentally skip over texts you meant to return to later.

You can mark a chat as unread by long pressing it, clicking the options icon, and tapping “Mark As Unread”.

Use the Unread Filter to Keep Track of Your Messages

On the topic of avoiding accidentally ignoring people, one feature I’ve found incredibly helpful is WhatsApp’s chat filters—especially the unread filter. It helps you organize your chats and highlights those that are still unopened.

You can find the filters at the top of your WhatsApp “Chats” page. If they’re not immediately visible, simply swipe down to reveal them. Once you see them, click “Unread”, and WhatsApp will filter your chats to display only those with unopened messages.

You can work through them methodically, ensuring you never miss a message.

Always Exit Chats Before Minimizing

Sometimes, I forget to exit a chat before minimizing WhatsApp, so the next time I open the app, I’m taken straight back to the same chat, which means I unintentionally read any new messages that have come in.

Now, I’m stuck in an awkward position: respond immediately or risk looking like I’m deliberately ignoring the person.

This issue is even worse when using WhatsApp on a computer. The desktop app requires you to have a chat open at all times, which makes it harder to avoid this situation.

To prevent this, it’s a good habit to exit chats before minimizing the app. This way, you stay in control of when you respond to messages. On my PC, I make it a point to switch to my chat with myself once I’m done texting. That way, I don’t accidentally open or read messages I’m not ready to deal with.

Turn Off Your Read Receipts and Online Status

If you want to avoid the awkwardness of people thinking you’re ignoring them, you can sidestep the issue entirely by disabling your read receipts” and online status. This way, no one can tell if you’ve read their messages or when you were last online.

While you’re at it, consider blocking certain contacts from viewing your WhatsApp status to prevent accidentally revealing that you’re active on the app.

Keep in mind that turning off your online status and read receipts also means you won’t be able to see others’ read receipts or online status. However, it’s a small trade-off for avoiding those uncomfortable moments.

Texting on WhatsApp is a convenient way to keep in touch with your friends and family—provided you know how to avoid the pitfalls. Hopefully, by incorporating these suggestions, you can navigate your chats more thoughtfully, avoid unnecessary awkwardness, and ensure your communication remains as smooth as possible.