Behaving politely via text is difficult even for those who often use that means of communication! If you want to end a text conversation or leave a group without sounding rude, you have several options. By apologizing politely, proposing to resume the conversation later, or explaining that you are too busy to speak at the moment, you can end the conversation without hurting anyone.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Close the Conversation with Education
Step 1. Apologize by saying that you are about to start doing something
After exchanging a few messages with someone, apologize with a phrase like "I'm about to go to the gym, I enjoyed talking to you!". This way the other person will understand that you won't be able to reply to their messages for a while.
Make sure you change your responses based on who you are talking to. If the conversation is with a colleague, you can say, "I'm about to make dinner. See you at the office on Monday!"
Step 2. Explain why you are not available at the moment
In some cases, to end a conversation, just say "I'm working now, see you later!". Hardly anyone will be offended if you have a good reason not to talk.
- For example, if you are at home, you can say: "Someone rang the doorbell, see you soon!"
- If you are about to get into the car, you can send a short message like "See you later, I'm driving!".
- Don't lie about what you are doing or why you can't talk. Quite often, the other person will understand that you are not being sincere and may get angry.
Step 3. If it's late, tell them you're about to go to bed
Hardly anyone will be offended if you have to interrupt a conversation to sleep. When you start feeling tired, let the other person know that you will soon be in bed. Try not to fall asleep while talking, or you will look rude!
- For example, you can write "I have to go to bed, can we talk tomorrow?" if you know that the next day you will have more time.
- If you don't talk to the other person often, you can say "I'm dying of sleep. Let's catch up in a few days!", Then schedule a phone call or even a video call over the next few days.
Step 4. Respond with an emoji or two when appropriate
If you're talking to someone you see often in person, responding with a smiley is often a great way to pause the conversation until your next meeting. Remember to choose an emoji appropriate to the tone of the dialogue before hitting Enter!
- For example, if your roommate tells you "I'll bring pizzas for dinner!", You can respond with a heart or with your thumbs up, so that he or she understands that you have seen the message and that you are looking forward to eating.
- If a friend or relative writes to you "Are you free?" or "Can we talk to you later?", you can answer with the thumbs up or the thumbs down, according to your availability.
- This is a great way to end a conversation before it even starts. Since you don't reply in words, it is likely that the other person will not send you a new message.
Step 5. If you have nothing to say, wait to answer
If you've already exchanged a few messages with someone and don't know what to say, wait. Try to think for no more than 15-30 minutes so that you don't appear to be ignoring the conversation.
- If nothing comes to mind, end the conversation by saying that you may resent later or that you are busy at the moment.
- Don't feel obligated to respond to messages you receive right away. If you have nothing to say, sometimes it is better to wait until something important or fun comes to mind.
Method 2 of 3: Close a Conversation with the Person You Like
Step 1. Close seductively with a cute comment or emoji
To end a conversation with the person you like, use a light and adorable tone! Send an emoji like the face that sends kisses or the one with heart-shaped eyes and let her know that you think about her even if you can't speak.
- Before going to sleep, you can write: "Goodnight, I can't wait to hear from you tomorrow! Kisses"; or: "Sweet dreams!".
- If you want to introduce another conversation for when you have time to talk, try writing: "Now I have to go, but what do you think of Drake's latest album? Let's talk about it later."
Step 2. Agree to speak later in person or on the phone
If you are talking to someone you hear often and you won't be able to answer them for a while, tell them when you are free. Explain your plans specifically so that she understands what time you will show up.
For example, if you go to school, you can write to your girlfriend in the morning: "I have class all day today, but I will finish by 4:30 pm. Would you like to see us at 5?"
Step 3. If you just met, thank her
Waiting before writing to the person you like after a date is a tradition of the past. If you hear from each other after you meet, end the conversation by thanking her for a nice evening and suggesting that she meet again soon.
- For example, you can write: "Thank you so much for this beautiful evening! Let's have another one soon!".
- If you are certain that the other person likes you, you can be bolder by writing: "I hope I dream of you tonight!".
Step 4. Close the conversation informally if the other person doesn't interest you
It's not easy to talk to someone who has a crush on you. Try to keep a friendly tone, but answer directly. If you don't want to talk to him, let him know you're not interested and end the conversation.
- For example, if he asks you out, you can reply, "You're a nice person, but I'm not interested in you that way."
- Try not to suggest continuing the conversation or saying phrases like "See you later" or you could give the wrong impression.
- If you don't feel safe after rejecting someone, tell a friend you trust. Contact law enforcement as soon as possible if the person writes threats to you or starts acting strangely.
Method 3 of 3: Leave a Group Conversation on iMessage
Step 1. Leave the group
Before abruptly leaving a conversation, send a message saying you are about to leave. You do not have to communicate the reason, but by saying goodbye you will avoid being added again in the future or being placed in other groups.
You can write, "Hey, I'm leaving the group. Receiving all these messages slows my phone down!"
Step 2. Open the conversation in the "Messages" app
Usually this app is located at the bottom of the screen and has a green square icon with a balloon inside. Scroll through the conversations until you find the group you want to leave.
- Look for the names of people in the group or that of the group itself. The creator may have chosen a title based on the content.
- If you can't find the conversation, use the search feature in the messaging app by typing the name of one of the participants.
Step 3. Press the "i" in the upper right corner of the conversation
The group information page will open, where you can see participants, shared media and more. The title of this page, at the top, is "Details".
If you can't find the "i", try quitting the conversation and reopening it for it to appear
Step 4. Select "Leave this conversation" in the information menu
Below the group member names and options to share your location, you should see a bar on the screen that reads "Leave this conversation" in red. Press the bar, then press the confirm button at the bottom of the screen.
- If the button isn't available, this means it's not an iMessage conversation, because a group member doesn't have the app. On iPhone, you can only leave iMessage groups.
- If the text bar is grayed out, it means that the group has only three participants. To leave a group of three, you must first add one to take your place.
Step 5. Activate Do Not Disturb mode to silence notifications but stay in the group
This feature turns off group message notifications, but allows you to still view the conversation and reply when you're not busy. Immediately above the "Leave this conversation" bar, move the "Do Not Disturb" button to green.
- If you want to receive group notifications again, return the button to its original position.
- This will turn off notifications for a specific conversation. If you don't want to receive any notifications on your phone, you can turn on Do Not Disturb mode.
Advice
- Always review your messages before sending them, especially if you are talking to an important person, such as your boss. You will avoid embarrassing mistakes!
- Don't feel obligated to reply to every message you receive. In general, only respond to those that require your immediate attention. Otherwise, you can wait.
