Android’s priority conversations are a functionality designed to elevate notifications from messaging or texting apps, making them the first to appear in the notification shade. Introduced in Android 11, this feature serves the crucial purpose of preventing users from overlooking essential messages.
How does it work? Notifications from priority conversations are designed to override your phone’s sound settings. This means they will produce an audible alert even when your phone is on silent mode, and they will trigger vibration even if vibration mode is turned off. Additionally, these priority notifications will always be displayed at the top of the Android notification shade, even if you have enabled Do Not Disturb mode.
Enabling priority conversations on Android 11+ devices can be done through two methods, and we’ll guide you through both.
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Set Priority Conversations From the Notification Panel
Prior to proceeding, it should be noted that the following instructions pertain to Android 13. However, please be aware that your Android system’s customization level and version may result in varying settings. Nonetheless, the fundamental steps should remain consistent.
To implement the first method, you will need to have a message present in your notification shade. In the event that you don’t have one, kindly request the individual whose conversation you wish to prioritize to send you a new message. Upon receiving the message, please adhere to the subsequent steps:
- Swipe downwards from the top of your screen to unveil the notification shade.
- Long-press the message, and among the three notification options that emerge, select “Priority.”
- Subsequently, tap on the “Apply” option located in the lower right corner to confirm your selection. It is possible that an additional step may appear, allowing you to add a home screen widget for the conversation while also activating bubble conversations.
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Set Priority Conversations Using the Settings App
1. To begin, access the Settings app on your Android device. Locate and tap on the Notifications category. Note that on certain devices, you may need to navigate to Apps & Notifications> Notifications > Advanced instead.
2. Choose Conversations from the available options.
3. On the subsequent page, scroll down to the Recent Conversations section and designate the conversation you desire to prioritize. Below the Show notifications toggle, select the Priority option. By doing this, you will observe that the Bubble this conversation toggle is automatically enabled for applications that support Bubbles.
Upon enabling the feature, your Android device will now support priority conversations. These conversations are easily distinguishable by the presence of a profile icon in both the status bar and lock screen, instead of the usual app icon. Furthermore, the app icon within the notification shade and lock screen will be displayed on the bottom right side of the profile icon and will be enclosed by an orange circle.
For situations when you’re occupied with another app and don’t want to be interrupted immediately by a text message, the Bubbles option can be left on. This will cause new messages from priority conversations to appear in small bubbles that pop up on top of your current app, allowing you to respond at your convenience.
In addition to prioritizing conversations, we also have a solution for handling text messages when you’re not ready to address them right away. Our guide on snoozing text messages provides you with the necessary steps to delay dealing with messages until a more suitable time.