# Sending late night texts - appropriate or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2021, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588 "2021-07-29T12:41:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/122 "2021-08-13T16:45:14Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Do people not know about these settings I didn’t know about them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/123 "2021-08-13T16:46:25Z")
So we need to use a special setting, and then another setting, just so jerks can text people late at night over trivial things? ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/124 "2021-08-13T16:48:16Z")
I don’t find those settings necessary, because almost everyone I know uses text messages the way I do. Why should I go to the trouble to accommodate the one person who can’t be courteous enough to respect my request not to send group texts at 4 a.m., when I could just block that person? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/125 "2021-08-13T16:52:15Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Both iOS (Apple) and Android have a setting that will allow calls from your favorite contacts even when your phone is on DND. You can also choose to allow calls when any number calls twice within three minutes. > > Do people not know about these settings, or are you really all expecting emergency calls from random numbers? Ninja’d me coming to post this. it’s not advanced programming, it’s navigate to settings - DND screen & then click on or off a couple of available choices. > [@ISiddiqui](#): > > As I noted a few times, who uses email with their friends these days? From the \> 100 responses in this thread, you should see that not everyone does it the same way & not everyone is like you; just because you don’t doesn’t mean that all others don’t, too. You only get texts on your phone, but Ione can get email on all of their devices, including the computer with the real keyboard or the tablet with the larger screen/keyboard that, in my case are both usually closer to me than my phone when I’m at home. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/126 "2021-08-13T17:11:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So we need to use a special setting, and then another setting, just so jerks can text people late at night over trivial things? There’s nothing special about them. They are just settings on your phone, same as any others. I’m sure you’ve adjusted several phone settings over the years. But if this one is the bridge too far for you, that’s fine too. > [@Esprise\_Me](#): > > Why should I go to the trouble to accommodate the one person who can’t be courteous enough to respect my request not to send group texts at 4 a.m., when I could just block that person? You might have more control of your groups and who sends you texts than I do. And for me, changing the setting was much less trouble than blocking someone who might be a good person with a different idea about standard waking hours. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/127 "2021-08-13T17:46:21Z")
I wouldn’t dream of sending texts much outside office hours, say from 7 am to 7 pm, unless expressly agreed on. Unlike emails, texts _do_ require immediate action by anyone receiving them with the phone on. That is, checking who texted and why. Recipients don’t need to be sleeping for texting to be situationally rude. Any kind of do not disturb scenario warrants a no texts policy. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/128 "2021-08-14T13:16:02Z")
One other point for Whatsapp group chats. I mute them, all of them. There are so many people in a group, there could be somebody posting at any time of the day. And when one posts, somebody else will respond. And then there will be another response. After a few rounds of that, I decided my group chats will be muted. This is in addition to using DND between 10 pm and 7 am. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2021, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588/129 "2021-08-15T03:39:20Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Do people not know about these settings, or are you really all expecting emergency calls from random numbers? I’ve had two calls between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 from police officers. Neither one would have been good to miss. Having young adult children out in the world changes things. I’m sure it’s similar for elderly parents, or some other things that have been mentioned. For me, late night texts are not appropriate unless you know the recipient wouldn’t mind (which I acknowledge, might happen quite a lot.) And yes, “late night” means after 10:00 p.m. (again, unless you know otherwise) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-late-night-texts-appropriate-or-not/947588.md?page=6)