Latest news with #groupchats
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Selfish WhatsApp trend sweeping UK has gone too far – I'm ready to bin phone over chat misery that's only getting worse
EXACTLY 2,120 notifications. This simply can't go on. That's how many times WhatsApp pinged me last week. It works out at over 300 texts a day. I'm exhausted, and a nightmare app trend is making it even worse. 5 5 I'm talking about group chats. Endless buzzing conversations with loved ones, pals, colleagues, strangers, and people I don't even like. It seems like everything gets its own group chat these days. For a start, you've got chats with every possible configuration of family and pals you could imagine. Then there are the groups for long-forgotten after-work drinks, stag dos and birthday parties that won't die. They pop up every few weeks like notification zombies, eating away at my brain and my patience. Why does being pulled into a chat for arranging some beers mean I'm condemned to a lifetime of tedious GIFs and tired memes? Yes, I know I can leave group chats, or just archive them. But it's like playing whack-a-mole. Leaving them seems to invite even more into my life. It's like one of those cursed dolls from a horror movie. Unsolicited invitations to conversations I don't need to be a part of abound. Dozens of groups, all bombarding me like a digital Luftwaffe. I just went into WhatsApp Settings > Storage and Data > Network Usage to look at my all time stats. I've sent about 200,000 messages since getting WhatsApp, and received nearly 700,000. I can't keep pace. And when I go into Settings > Screen Time on my iPhone to look at my WhatsApp notification count, I'm opening WhatsApp 16 times a day on average – with thousands of pop-ups a week. WhatsApp reveals exacty how to block one of your contacts By my maths, last week there were nearly 19 notifications every time I opened the app. It's sickening. This isn't how humans were meant to live. My phone isn't always with me – so even going outdoors doesn't fix it. There's no escape unless I chuck my mobile in the bin. It's tempting. Isolated, most of these group chats don't seem too bad. I even like most of the people in them, honestly. But their misery is greater than the sum of their parts. They come together like a snowball of spam, crushing me under the immense weight of mindless chatter. SHOWER THOUGHTS The whole concept of online chatting is oppressive too. Just the other day, I was texting a pal and felt bad about going to hop in the shower mid-conversation. What if they think I'm ignoring them? Will they think something happened to me? It's obviously nonsense, but the app makes it feel like you're "always on". I felt like a prisoner in my own bathroom. I did shower in the end, obviously. I won't let the apps win. But their dominating effect is real. The sad truth is that I get so many messages that it's literally impossible to read, absorb, and reply to them all in a meaningful way. Not unless I pack my job in, cut off my hobbies, and glue myself to my phone. 5 5 I don't even think I'm particularly popular. Some of you reading this probably have it even worse. How do you cope? The worst thing is, I'm hardly using social media. I've basically come off Facebook and Instagram to try to spend less time on my phone. If I was using those apps too, I don't know how I'd deal with the onslaught. At least my bosses pay me to read my work emails. Trawling through my WhatsApp chats is thankless. It's gotten so bad that some days, I don't even bother opening the app. I think: if it's important, I'll hear about it in another way. Better yet, I remind myself that I can just talk to these people in person. Ask them about their lives in the flesh: "How are you? Going anywhere nice? What have you been cooking for dinner lately?" It doesn't need to be a constant back-and-forth on WhatsApp. One small saving grace I've found is the iPhone's Sleep Focus mode. TRY 'SLEEP FOCUS' TO SAVE YOURSELF It's not the perfect solution to your WhatsApp nightmare, but it's a start... Just go into Settings > Focus > Sleep on an iPhone. Then you can customise your Sleep Focus to shut out notifications while you're in bed. You can set up a schedule, so you won't see notifications until you leave the Focus in the morning. The schedule can even have different times for weekdays versus the weekend. And it'll even warn people trying to iMessage you that you've got notifications silenced (though they'll be given the option to break through). You can even set it up to allow notifications from specific people. I have mine set to allow my wife and closest family members – but you can block everyone if you prefer. Picture Credit: The Sun / Apple This mutes notifications coming through at night, and hides them when I wake up. It's only when I come out of the Sleep Focus that they appear. So I get some small respite from the WhatsApp carnage until my day properly begins. But it's not enough. There has to be a better way. PEN TO PAPER Honestly, I'm convinced we need to go back to writing letters. A couple of weeks ago, I read out a handwritten letter from a family member to my wife's 90-year-old grandad. It was a big update on their life in Australia, and it felt like a special moment. The message was an occasion. Not just a ping. Nothing feels special with WhatsApp. It's just a constant flurry of thoughts, feelings, updates, and memes. Wouldn't it be nice to write a letter to distant friends or far-off family members, maybe once a quarter? Tell them all the main bits, write it with love, and then get excited for the big update coming back in the post. There's no pressure to reply right away. Certainly no damning "blue ticks" cruelly revealing when I've peeled the envelope open. And try "tagging" me with a bit of paper. I dare you. The closest you'll get to rushing me is a first-class stamp. It would make chatting with loved ones feel more special. We'd all be reminded of what is actually important in our lives – and who we really want to share those thoughts, feelings, updates, and moments with. And you can bet I won't be getting 2,000 letters a week.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
iPhone trick that can make your battery last much longer
There's nothing more frustrating than your phone's battery dying on you just when you need it most. But there is one little-known trick that could keep your iPhone alive for much longer. And it will be especially useful for people who are in lots of group chats. All you need to do to boost your device's longevity is to place it face down when it's out of your pocket or bag. Placing your iPhone face down on a surface prevents the screen from lighting up every time you get a notification. The phone will still vibrate or make a sound when you receive a notification, but the screen won't wake up and drain your battery. This feature, called Facedown Detection, was introduced in 2015 with iOS 9, and uses ambient light and proximity sensor to make the screen go black based on surrounding light levels. This is the same technology that turns your screen off when you hold it to your ear so you don't accidentally hang up during a phone call. The screen lighting up is one of the biggest draws on your phone's battery life. So, if you want your phone to last as long as possible, it's important to reduce this to a minimum. Even though an individual notification only lights the screen up for a second, over time, this can mean your phone is on for a much longer period. A 2023 study conducted by Common Sense Media found that about half of girls aged 11 to 17 receive over 230 notifications a day. Some teenagers in the study received up to 5,000 notifications in a 24-hour period. That means your phone screen can end up being on almost constantly, draining a lot of power. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't have any way of preventing the screen from waking up when it receives a notification. Other than turning your iPhone face down, the only other option is to limit the number of push notifications you receive. You can either do this by placing your phone on Do Not Disturb and stopping all notifications, or changing individual apps' notification settings. To do this, go into Settings on your iPhone, select 'Notifications' and then select an app's icon. From here, you will be able to prevent the app from sending notifications by turning off 'Allow Notifications'. Alternatively, you can minimise how often you get notifications by scheduling a notification summary. This will send you a collected summary of any notifications that would have appeared before a set time. To do this, go to the 'Scheduled Summary' tab under notification settings and turn on Scheduled Summary. Tap 'Continue', select the times you want to receive the notification summary, select the apps you want to be included, and then select 'Add Apps'. Now, when your iPhone is set to 'Focus' mode, all notifications will be delayed until the scheduled summary to prevent you from being interrupted. If that still isn't keeping your battery from draining, you could also try turning off location services. This is because your GPS hardware requires more battery to run and its impact can often depend on the strength of the signal and the location's accuracy. For example, if you're using Google Maps to share your location with someone else, the app is likely to be accurate, causing more drainage on your battery. It's therefore advised to turn off your location when you're not using it by heading to the privacy and security section in settings and clicking on 'location services' where you can turn the feature off.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
The little-known iPhone trick that can make your battery last MUCH longer
There's nothing more frustrating than your phone's battery dying on you just when you need it most. But there is one little-known trick that could keep your iPhone alive for much longer. And it will be especially useful for people who are in lots of group chats. All you need to do to boost your device's longevity is to place it face down when it's out of your pocket or bag. Placing your iPhone face down on a surface prevents the screen from lighting up every time you get a notification. The phone will still vibrate or make a sound when you receive a notification, but the screen won't wake up and drain your battery. This feature, called Facedown Detection, was introduced in 2015 with iOS 9, and uses ambient light and proximity sensor to make the screen go black based on surrounding light levels. This is the same technology that turns your screen off when you hold it to your ear so you don't accidentally hang up during a phone call. The screen lighting up is one of the biggest draws on your phone's battery life. So, if you want your phone to last as long as possible, it's important to reduce this to a minimum. Even though an individual notification only lights the screen up for a second, over time, this can mean your phone is on for a much longer period. A 2023 study conducted by Common Sense Media found that about half of girls aged 11 to 17 receive over 230 notifications a day. Some teenagers in the study received up to 5,000 notifications in a 24-hour period. That means your phone screen can end up being on almost constantly, draining a lot of power. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't have any way of preventing the screen from waking up when it receives a notification. Other than turning your iPhone face down, the only other option is to limit the number of push notifications you receive. You can either do this by placing your phone on Do Not Disturb and stopping all notifications, or changing individual apps' notification settings. To do this, go into Settings on your iPhone, select 'Notifications' and then select an app's icon. From here, you will be able to prevent the app from sending notifications by turning off 'Allow Notifications'. Alternatively, you can minimise how often you get notifications by scheduling a notification summary. This will send you a collected summary of any notifications that would have appeared before a set time. To do this, go to the 'Scheduled Summary' tab under notification settings and turn on Scheduled Summary. Tap 'Continue', select the times you want to receive the notification summary, select the apps you want to be included, and then select 'Add Apps'. Now, when your iPhone is set to 'Focus' mode, all notifications will be delayed until the scheduled summary to prevent you from being interrupted. If that still isn't keeping your battery from draining, you could also try turning off location services. This is because your GPS hardware requires more battery to run and its impact can often depend on the strength of the signal and the location's accuracy. For example, if you're using Google Maps to share your location with someone else, the app is likely to be accurate, causing more drainage on your battery. It's therefore advised to turn off your location when you're not using it by heading to the privacy and security section in settings and clicking on 'location services' where you can turn the feature off. How to stop apps from secretly draining your iPhone's battery Certain apps could be draining the battery of your iPhone - and tracking these down can help your cellphone last longer. Phone repair expert Kewin Charron, from tech repair company Back Market, told that iOS makes it easy to hunt down high-drain apps. Charron said, 'The first step is to understand which apps consume the most battery. From here, users can start to prioritise the apps they use regularly and purge any that are taking up unnecessary space.' Certain apps - like streaming video or graphic-intensive games - are always going to use a fair bit of power, Charron said, but sometimes fairly simple apps can be draining your battery, and you should track these down and disable them. To find your phone's battery usage list, on iOS devices, go to Settings > Battery and look for a list of apps along with the percentage of battery usage for each over the past seven days. Some apps may run in the background even when you're not actively using them. This drains the battery causing you to charge your phone more often. Over time, this can actually reduce the lifespan of your phone. To combat this, look for apps which are very active in the background, and deactivate 'background app refresh' for each ones. On iOS, you can selectively enable or disable background app refresh for specific apps in settings to reduce background activity. To do this, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, and then select Off on individual apps as required.
The Sun
6 days ago
- The Sun
Little-known dinner table trick can save your phone battery in seconds – you don't even need to change your settings
ONE small act at the dinner table - or your desk at work - can do wonders for conserving your battery. The little-known phone trick is particularly effective for people who are in lots of group chats. Keeping your phone face down means that it won't wake up with each notification you receive - and that can save you a little bit of charge. While a single notification won't make much difference, they can add up. And according to CNET, this small act can be the difference between your phone lasting into the afternoon and dying. If you have notifications enabled across all your apps, or you're active in lots of group chats, your screen might light up dozens of times throughout the day. That number could be even higher, depending on your digital footprint. Some teenagers have hundreds of notifications ping in their direction each day, according to a 2023 study. But when an iPhone or Android device is placed face down, its screen will not turn on for notifications. This is due to ambient light and proximity sensors, which make the screen go black depending on surrounding light levels and how close it is to the user's ear for phone calls. You know when you place your phone to your ear to take a call and the screen goes black? It's the same technology used when it's face down on a table. Costliest iPhone mistake you can make is scarily common – I'm shocked more people don't know as it saves you hundreds This feature is designed to save battery life, and prevent unwanted screen activation when the phone is not in use. While the phone will still vibrate or make a sound for notifications, the screen will remain off. Google Pixel battery tips – the official guide Here's the official Google advice for Pixel owners on how to make your battery charge go further... Tip 1: Let the phone close apps you're not using. Tip 2: Keep your phone and apps up to date. Applications become more battery efficient with each new iteration, addressing errors and glitches that use unnecessary power. Tip 3: Turn down the brightness. Save your eyes by turning down the brightness of your phone, while also saving the battery. You can also set your phone to Dark theme, which turns your background to black. It uses less power and relieves some of the strain on your eyes, too. Tip 4: Know which apps and activities are power hungry. Pixel users should be aware of what activities drain their batteries most. Video calls and gaming are at the top of the list. Users should also shut down apps they have opened but aren't using.
Phone Arena
11-06-2025
- Phone Arena
Apple and Google add features to group chats, but Verizon says beware the drama
Group chats are basically part of everyday life now and tech companies know it. I mean, that is probably why Apple and Google are both stepping things up to make them even better. With iOS 26, Apple is bringing upgrades like typing indicators, Apple Cash requests and transfers, polls and more to group messages. On the Android side, Google just started rolling out Android 16 and Google Messages is finally getting some long-requested RCS group chat features – like the ability to name your group chats and even give them custom icons so they stand out. Clearly, group chats matter. And the numbers prove it: the average social media user is part of 83 group chats. Teens? Even more – for them, it is where most of the real conversations happen. That is exactly why Verizon is sounding the alarm, especially for parents. According to the carrier, where there are teens, there's drama. Group chats can easily go from fun to messy – from oversharing to bullying – and most of the time, it happens without adults noticing. So Verizon teamed up with mental health experts to offer a few tips on how to help kids (and really, anyone) navigate these spaces more safely. – Erin Pash, M.A., founder of Ellie Mental Health, June 2025 One thing to remind your kid is that messages don't really disappear. Even if a group chat app says they expire or can be deleted, screenshots are a thing – and once something is out there, it's out there. Whether it's a photo, a password, or a random comment, you can't always take it also good to help them recognize when things are starting to go sideways. Jokes can cross the line, people can gang up or private info gets dropped. It helps to talk to your kid about recognizing those moments. Sharing your own online slip-ups can help start that conversation and even open the door to role-playing matters most is making sure your kid knows they can come to you when something feels off. Uncomfortable moments are bound to happen, but having a safe person to talk to makes a big there are red flags to look out for: flinching when a notification comes in, hiding their screen when someone walks by, suddenly distancing themselves from friends, late-night messaging, or mood swings tied to their phone. Those signs could mean a group chat is becoming toxic. And last but not least, Verizon also says it's better to focus on building skills instead of just monitoring screens. That means teaching kids how to handle online drama, spot fake info or scams, and navigate confusing stuff – especially now that AI is in the mix. Helping them build digital confidence goes a lot further than just watching over their shoulder. And even if this all feels like common sense to you, think about who in your life might not know it – whether it's another parent, a friend or even an older relative. Teens might be the most active in group chats, but let's be real – older folks can get caught up in online messes, too. Everyone's still figuring out how to stay safe and smart in these digital spaces. Switch to Total 5G+ Unlimited 3-Month plan or Total 5G Unlimited and get a free iPhone. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Buy at Total Wireless
