Sometimes, unfortunate though it is, you may find that you need to block someone on Google Hangouts. Maybe they’ve said something rude or offensive, are spamming you with annoying and unnecessary messages, or are phishing with marketing pitches and advertisements you never agreed to see. Whatever your reason, you should know that it is simple and straightforward to do so (and easily reversible if you’ve done so by accident).
In order to block someone on the Google Hangouts website or mobile app, just follow the steps below. Check out the FAQs section at the end to learn what blocking someone actually does.
Table of Contents
Block someone on the Google Hangouts website
- Open your preferred web browser, and navigate to the Google Hangouts website. If prompted to, then log-in
- You will automatically be directed to your open conversations, locate the conversation (group or single) with the person in it whom you wish to block
- In the conversation, navigate to the person’s Settings option, and click on it
- Now choose ‘Block’ (note that you can additionally choose to ‘Report’ the person if you think it necessary to do so)
- Finally, confirm your choice
- You have successfully blocked someone on Google Hangouts via the website (to unblock them, see the FAQs at the bottom of this article)
Block someone on the Google Hangouts mobile app
- Open the Hangouts app on your Android device
- Open the conversation window with the person you wish to block
- Tap on ‘More’ in the top-right of your screen
- From the drop-down menu, select ‘People’
- Find the user you wish to block, and having tapped on them, select ‘Block’
- Lastly, confirm your choice by once again tapping ‘Block’
- You have successfully blocked someone on Google Hangouts via the mobile app (to unblock them, see the FAQs at the bottom of this article)
Frequently asked questions
What is Google Hangouts?
Google Hangouts is a super easy, accessible, and user-friendly platform for hosting meetings, chatting with friends, and making video or voice calls with any number of your contacts, either in private one-on-one conversations or in larger group settings.
What happens when I block someone?
When you block someone on Google Hangouts, you automatically also block them on Google Chat, Google Photos, and Google Voice. This person will no longer be able to interact with you in any way, which means messages, calls, comments, or shares. Similarly, neither will you be able to interact with the person you’ve blocked.
Can I block someone who I am in a group chat with?
Yes. If you block someone who shares in a group chat with you, they will not be notified, and all content they send into the chat will now be removed from the chat for you. In other words, you will no longer see their messages in the group chat. They, however, will still see yours. The only point at which they would receive a notification that someone in the group has blocked them (though even then it would not tell them exactly who), would be if they attempted to join a group video or voice call which you were a part of.
How do I unblock someone?
It may well be the case that you have accidentally blocked someone on Google Hangouts. Or, perhaps you’ve forgiven the person you blocked in the first place, and wish to unblock them so that you can reconnect. To do so is simple. Simply navigate to the Settings tab of the Google Hangouts Menu (whether online or in the app). Navigate to the Blocked People tab, and when presented with the list of people you’ve blocked, find and click on the right person, and then select ‘Unblock’. You may be prompted to confirm your choice. You can, of course, always re-block them, if it becomes necessary to do so.
