Blocking is aggressive. Sometimes you don’t want to burn the bridge—you just want to install a turnstile so you only cross it at your convenience. This is called muting.
In the Messages app, long-press the conversation thread. Look for the option to “Mute” or “Archive.” Muting means you won’t get a notification, but the messages still pile up in the background like unanswered emails from 2015. Archiving means the chat vanishes from your main inbox but isn’t deleted. It’s like hiding a messy drawer behind a sofa. Out of sight, out of mind, and your mother-in-law will never know you saw her recipe request.
This is perfect for group chats where your friends discuss Star Wars lore for four hours straight. You don’t hate them. You just hate hearing about the Expanded Universe while you’re trying to eat a sandwich.
