How can I adjust the notification settings for group chats?

A group chat feature is available. Group chats are managed on each individual device. The Threema servers have no knowledge about group compositions. Groups can contain up to 256 members.

New groups can be created using the “New group” item in the main menu on Android and using the “Compose message” button on iOS.

Android

• You’re the creator: If you leave the group without deleting it, you will keep the chat history, and the group chat will be crossed out on your device. The other members can still use the group, but can’t edit/maintain it anymore (the group has no creator/admin). To leave a group, open the group chat, tap on the group’s name in the title bar, open the menu by tapping the three vertical dots in the top right corner, and select “Leave group.”
  
  If you delete the group, the other members can’t use it anymore. It will be crossed out on all devices, and the chat history will be deleted on your device. To delete a group, open the group chat, tap on the group’s name in the title bar, open the menu by tapping the three vertical dots in the top right corner, and select “Delete group.”


• You’re a member: You can simply leave the group: open the group chat, tap on the group’s name in the title bar, open the menu by tapping the three vertical dots in the top right corner, and select “Leave group.” The chat history will also be deleted on your device.

iOS

• You’re the creator: If you dissolve the group without deleting it, the group chat will be crossed out on all devices and can’t be used anymore. The chat history will still be visible for all members. To dissolve a group, swipe left on the desired group chat in the chat overview, tap on the bin icon, and select “Dissolve Group.” You can also find this button in the group details.
  
  If you delete the group, it can’t be used anymore. It will be crossed out on all members’ devices, and the chat history will be deleted on your device. To delete a group, swipe left on the desired group chat in the chat overview, tap on the bin icon, and select “Dissolve and Delete Group.” You can also find this button in the group details.


• You’re a member: You can simply leave the group: swipe left on the desired group chat in the chat overview, tap on the bin icon, and select “Leave Group” or “Leave and Delete Group,” if you also want to delete the chat history. You can also find these buttons in the group details.

Only the creator of a group can add new and remove existing group members.

Open the group details by tapping the group’s profile picture to learn who is the group’s creator. If you are the creator, you can edit the members as follows:

Android

To add members, open the group details and tap “+.”

To remove a member, tap on their name in the group details and then on “Kick [user] from group.”

iOS

To edit the group members, open the group details and tap on “Manage members.” There, you can add and remove members.

Like single chats, group chats are end-to-end encrypted in Threema. For privacy reasons, groups are not managed on our servers but directly on users’ devices. Since there is no information concerning group compositions stored on the server, groups can become asynchronous, e.g., if a user restores a data backup or is absent for an extended period of time.

If a group is asynchronous, we recommend resynchronizing it first. Only the creator can initiate a synchronization (in the group’s detail view). Should the problem persist, please remove the group member due to which the group became asynchronous (see above), and add them again.

You can access a group’s detail view by tapping on the title bar in the group chat.

If some members cannot see messages in a group chat, it is usually because they have activated the “Block Unknown” option. Disable the “Block Unknown” option in “Threema > Settings > Privacy” to receive all group-chat messages.

For privacy reasons, groups are not managed on our servers but directly on users’ devices. An ID export only contains the Threema ID and will therefore not suffice to restore groups. A Threema Safe backup, on the other hand, also contains your group memberships (besides other data) and is platform-independent.

Like single chats, group chats are end-to-end encrypted in Threema. For privacy reasons, groups are managed in a decentralized manner on users’ devices, not on a server. Neither is it possible to transfer creator privileges, nor can creator privileges be granted to multiple users.

Cloning Groups

If a group’s creator leaves the group, a new group must be created. However, groups can be cloned. If a group member clones a group, they become creator of a new group consisting of the same members as the original group. The chat history is not transferred to the new group.

• Android: Tap the title bar in the group chat, then tap the three vertical dots, and select “Clone group.”
  
• iOS: In the group chat, tap the title bar, scroll to the bottom of the group details, and then tap “Clone Group.”
  

To mention a group member, perform the following steps:

• Open the desired group chat
  
• Type the “@” character on the keyboard, which will bring up a list of all group members
  
• Select the group member you wish to mention; typing additional characters will narrow the list accordingly

Use “@All” to mention all group members.

To learn how to only get notified when you are mentioned, please consult the FAQ article on notification settings for group chats (if you use an Android device) or the article on individual notification settings in iOS.