Google Hangouts makes online meetings and conversations easier, but sometimes you need to distance yourself from specific people. Some people can be too nasty or rude and make you want to block them.
Fortunately, you can block people on the Google Hangouts website and in the Android and iOS apps. Continue reading for instructions on how to lock and unlock on all supported devices.
How to block Google Hangouts Mobile
If you are using Hangouts on Android either iOS, you should know that you can simply block anyone who bothers you or gives you problems. The instructions are the same for iOS and Android devices:
- Launch the Hangouts app on your mobile device.
- Open a conversation window.
- Select More in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Then, tap People.
- Choose who you want to block and tap Block.
- Finally, confirm your action with Block.
How to block Google Hangouts Web
You can block people on the Google Hangouts web through any Internet browser on your computer. Follow the instructions to block:
- Open Google Hangouts Web page and log in.
- You will reach the Conversations tab. Select the person you want to block from your conversations list.
- Then, select the Settings option in the conversation with this person.
- Choose to block or report them.
- Optionally, you can check the Report Also box if you think the person in question went too far.
- Confirm your selection.
We will provide you with more information about blocking and reporting in the next section.
Google Hangouts Blocking 101
Before you start blocking people on Google Hangouts, you should know how it works. First, you won’t be able to receive calls or messages from a contact you block. Not only will you block them on Google Hangouts, but also on Google Chat, Google Voice, and Google Photos.
If you decide to unblock someone, you will also unblock them on other services. You will also not be able to send messages or call a blocked person. Calls and messages will be enabled both ways in other messaging apps and through regular phone calls.
You can block a person in your Google Hangouts group chat. However, it won’t remove them from the conversation. No one in a group chat will receive a notification when you block someone. You won’t see notifications for their messages in a group, but they will see yours. Other people will not be affected; They will still be able to see all the messages.
Even if you’ve blocked someone, they can still join your group text chats. If they try to join a group video chat, they won’t be able to do so. Additionally, they will receive a notification informing them that someone in the conversation blocked them.
How to unblock on Google Hangouts
Anyone can make a mistake and block someone on Google Hangouts by accident. That’s not a problem because you can unblock them before they even realize it. You can unblock a person at any time if you change your mind. Here’s how to unlock on a computer:
- Visit the Google Hangouts page in any browser.
- Select the hamburger menu and click Settings.
- Next, choose Settings and then the Blocked People option to see the list of all the people you have blocked.
- Finally, search for the desired person and unblock them.
Alternatively, you can unblock your Hangouts contacts in Gmail from the list with the same name (left side of the Gmail screen).
Unlocking on mobile
Unblocking people on Google Hangouts is different for Android and iOS devices. Here’s how to unblock a person on an Android phone or tablet:
- Launch the Hangouts app.
- Then, tap on the hamburger menu.
- Next, choose Settings and select the Google account you are using.
- Finally, tap on Blocked Contacts and find the name of the person you want to unblock. Tap the Unlock button.
Locking on iPhone and iPad has a few additional steps:
- Launch the Hangouts app.
- Select the hamburger menu.
- Open Settings and view the list of Blocked People.
- Select the name of the person you want to unblock.
- Then tap More, followed by People.
- Choose the person’s name once again and tap Unblock User.
Blocking is easy
Sometimes you can’t avoid contact with people in real life, but on Google Hangouts you can. You don’t have to put up with rude behavior; Block the person immediately.
Did we answer all your questions about the lockdown or is there more you would like to know? Tell us about your experiences with Google Hangouts in the comments section below.
