Pinned conversations in Google Messages let you keep your most important chats (family, work, delivery updates, 2FA threads you reference often) locked to the top of your conversation list. This makes it faster to find them and reduces the chance you’ll miss new messages in a busy inbox.

Before you start

  • Device: Android phone or tablet using Google Messages.
  • App version: Pinning is available on most current versions of Google Messages, but menus can differ slightly by device and update channel.

How to pin a conversation in Google Messages

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. From the main inbox (your conversation list), find the chat you want to keep at the top.
  3. Long-press the conversation (press and hold on the thread in the list).
  4. Tap the Pin icon in the top action bar (often shown as a pushpin).
  5. Confirm the conversation now appears in a pinned section at the top of your inbox.

How to unpin a conversation

  1. In the conversation list, long-press the pinned thread.
  2. Tap the Unpin icon (or the pin icon again).
  3. The conversation will return to normal sorting (typically by most recent message).

Pin multiple conversations (if supported)

Google Messages usually allows pinning more than one conversation. To do this:

  1. Long-press one conversation.
  2. Select additional threads by tapping them.
  3. Tap the Pin icon once to pin them together.

What pinning does (and doesn’t) do

  • Does: Keeps selected chats at the top of your inbox for quicker access.
  • Doesn’t: Mute notifications, change notification priority, or stop messages from arriving. If you need quieter alerts, use notification settings per conversation.

Troubleshooting: If you can’t find the Pin option

  • Make sure you’re long-pressing the thread in the inbox list (not inside the open chat).
  • Update Google Messages via the Play Store. Features can be tied to version rollouts.
  • Check for a different menu layout: Some devices show pinning under a More (three-dot) menu after selecting a conversation.
  • Try restarting the app (force close and reopen) after updating.

Quick tips for staying organized

  • Pin only your essentials: Too many pinned chats defeats the purpose.
  • Combine with archiving: Archive old threads to keep the main inbox clean while pins remain easy to reach.
  • Use per-chat notifications: If a pinned chat is important, consider enabling stronger alerts for that conversation.