How to Whisper on Twitch in 2023: The Ultimate Guide

Did you know that Twitch users send over 2 billion whispers each month? Whispering is one of the platform‘s most popular ways to interact privately, but many users still don‘t know how to use this essential feature.

In this ultimate guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to master the art of the Twitch whisper, including:

What Twitch whispers are and how they differ from chat and DMs
Step-by-step instructions for sending whispers on web, mobile, and desktop
Expert tips for managing your whispers inbox
Troubleshooting common issues with whispers
Bonus: How to use Plex to stream your personal media on PS5

Whether you‘re a streamer looking to connect with fans or a viewer wanting to chat with friends, read on to learn how to whisper like a pro.

What are Whispers on Twitch?

Twitch whispers are private messages sent from one user to another on the platform. Think of them like passing a note to someone in class – only the sender and recipient can see the contents of the message.

Whispers don‘t appear in public chat and aren‘t grouped into an on-going conversation like direct messages. Each whisper essentially starts a new private interaction, making them best for quick one-off messages.

Whispers vs. Chat vs. Direct Messages

With so many ways to interact on Twitch, it can get confusing to know when to use whispers instead of chat or DMs. Here‘s a quick breakdown:

Feature	Best For	Visibility	Character Limit
Chat	Public interactions	Everyone in chat	500
Whispers	Private messages	Sender & recipient only	500
Direct Messages	Private conversations	Sender & recipient only	10,000

As you can see, chat is completely public, while both whispers and DMs are private. The key difference is that DMs maintain an on-going private conversation with a full history, while whispers are more like individual private messages with no conversation threading.

Twitch‘s 2022 retrospective revealed that users sent over 24 billion whispers last year alone, showcasing just how prevalent this communication method is on the platform.

When to Use Whispers

Now that we know whispers are for private, typically brief messages, let‘s look at some common scenarios where you‘d want to use a whisper instead of public chat or a direct message on Twitch:

Congratulating a friend on reaching a milestone or winning a match
Sending condolences to a streamer after a tough loss
Coordinating with moderators during a stream
Sharing sensitive personal information like your email or phone number
Giving a streamer constructive feedback or advice privately
Telling an inside joke to a friend without disrupting chat
Following up with someone you met in a stream

Basically, any time you want to communicate privately with someone but don‘t need an on-going conversation, a whisper is the way to go.

How to Send a Whisper on Twitch

The exact method for sending a whisper varies slightly depending on if you‘re using Twitch on desktop web, mobile web, or the iOS or Android app. We‘ll walk through the steps for each platform.

Desktop Web

Log in to your Twitch account on twitch.tv.
Navigate to the channel of the user you want to whisper. You can do this by clicking their username if they‘re active in a chat, searching for their profile, or selecting their channel from your followed list.
Once on their channel, click the username in the chat list to open their Twitch profile.
Look for the Chat icon in the upper right of their profile page. It looks like a speech bubble. Click this to open the whisper interface.
Type your message in the chat box. Remember, you have a maximum of 500 characters.
Hit Enter on your keyboard to send the whisper. You‘ll see a confirmation appear that your whisper was sent.

Mobile Web

Open the Twitch website on your phone‘s web browser and log in.
Go to the channel of the user you want to whisper by tapping their name in chat or searching for their profile.
Tap the username in the viewer list to bring up a small profile preview.
In the profile preview, tap the purple Chat icon to access the whisper screen.
Enter your message in the text box. Note the 500 character limit.
Tap the arrow icon to send your whisper. A "Message Sent" notice will appear.

iOS & Android Apps

Open the official Twitch app on your iOS or Android device. Log in if prompted.
Navigate to the channel of the person you want to whisper. You can do this from the Discover tab, your followed channels, or by tapping their name in a chat.
Once in the channel, tap the username in the viewers list.
In the viewer profile screen that appears, tap the purple Chat icon.
Type your message in the chat text box at the bottom. Keep in mind the 500 character limit.
Tap Send to deliver your whisper. You‘ll get a "Whisper Sent" confirmation.

That‘s it! The person will receive a notification about your whisper and can reply back to you if they choose.

Managing Your Twitch Whispers

When someone sends you a whisper on Twitch, you‘ll get an alert just like you would for a new chat message or DM. Here‘s how to view whispers you‘ve received and reply back:

On Desktop

Click the Whispers icon in the top right menu of any Twitch page. It looks like a speech bubble with a lock.
Your whispers inbox will open in the Whispers tab. Unread whispers have a purple "New" label.
Click on a whisper to view its contents.
To reply, type your message in the chat box and hit Enter.

On Mobile

From any screen in the Twitch app, tap your profile picture in the top left corner.
Tap Whispers. You‘ll see a list of your whispers with a preview of the most recent message in each.
Tap a whisper to open the full message.
Type your response in the text box and tap Send to deliver it.

Remember that replying to a whisper starts a new conversation, as there‘s no threading. If you need a full back-and-forth interaction, you‘re better off moving to DMs.

Whispers Best Practices & Etiquette

To get the most out of Twitch whispers, keep these tips and etiquette guidelines in mind:

Only send whispers to users who have whispers enabled and don‘t have you blocked. If you‘re not sure, check their profile or ask first in chat.
Be respectful and considerate in your whispers. Don‘t send spam, harassment, hate speech, or inappropriate content.
Use whispers sparingly. If you‘re having an on-going conversation, move it to DMs so you can have a proper back-and-forth without the message history limitations.
Don‘t send whispers to demand a streamer‘s attention or ask for shoutouts or follows. That‘s what chat is for.
Keep it concise. Whispers have a 500 character limit for a reason – they‘re meant for brief interactions. If you have a lot to say, consider using DMs or email instead.
Don‘t share private information about others in whispers without their consent. What happens in whispers stays in whispers.

By following these best practices, you‘ll avoid potential awkwardness or miscommunication and ensure your whispers are always well-received.

Troubleshooting Twitch Whispers

While whispering on Twitch is generally straightforward, you may run into the occasional hiccup. If your whispers aren‘t sending or you‘re not receiving whispers from others, try these troubleshooting tips:

Check that both you and the recipient have whispers enabled in your privacy settings. You can find this under Settings > Security and Privacy > Privacy.
Make sure you‘ve verified your email address and enabled two-factor authentication on your Twitch account. These are required to send whispers.
Refresh the page or restart the app and try again.
Confirm you haven‘t been blocked by the recipient. If you have, you won‘t be able to send them whispers.
Disable any browser extensions or add-ons that might be interfering with Twitch, especially ad blockers.
Check your internet connection. If you‘re on WiFi, try connecting to data or Ethernet instead.

If you‘ve tried all these steps and are still having trouble, reach out to Twitch Support for further assistance.

Bonus: Using Plex on PS5

In addition to mastering Twitch whispers, another way to level up your streaming game is by using Plex to watch your personal media collection on PlayStation 5. Here‘s a quick guide:

What is Plex?

Plex is a media server application that allows you to organize and stream your video, music, and photo libraries to any device. With over 25 million registered users, it‘s become one of the most popular ways to enjoy personal media.

Setting Up Plex on PS5

To get started with Plex on your PS5, you‘ll first need to set up the Plex Media Server on a computer or NAS device that houses your media files. Check out this guide for detailed instructions.

Once your server is up and running, install the Plex app on your PS5 by following these steps:

On your PS5 home screen, navigate to the Media tab and select All Apps.
Scroll down to the P section and select Plex. Click Download.
Launch Plex from your Game Library. Sign in with your Plex account or create a new one.
On the "How do you want to use Plex?" screen, choose "Connect to a Server" and enter your server details.
Select which media libraries you want to access on PS5, then click Done.

That‘s it! You can now browse and play your personal media collection right from your PS5 dashboard.

Plex Tips for PS5

To get the most out of using Plex on PlayStation 5, keep these tips in mind:

Use a wired Ethernet connection for the most reliable high-quality streaming, especially for 4K content.
Upgrade to a Plex Pass subscription to unlock premium features like hardware-accelerated transcoding, intro skipping, and mobile sync.
Organize your media libraries using Plex‘s built-in metadata agents for the best browsing experience. Plex can automatically add artwork, descriptions, and other info.
Take advantage of Plex‘s powerful search and filtering tools to quickly find what you want to watch, even in a large library.

By combining Plex with PS5, you can turn your console into a complete entertainment center for both gaming and media streaming.

Conclusion

We covered a lot of ground in this ultimate guide to Twitch whispers and using Plex on PS5. To recap the key points:

Twitch whispers are one-off private messages that are ideal for quick personal interactions without the commitment of a DM conversation.
To send a whisper, navigate to the recipient‘s profile, click or tap the Chat icon, type your message, and hit Send.
You can view whispers you‘ve received and reply to them from the dedicated Whispers inbox on desktop or mobile.
When sending whispers, be considerate, concise, and respectful. Follow Twitch‘s Community Guidelines and use whispers sparingly.
If you‘re having trouble sending or receiving whispers, double check your privacy settings, account verification status, and internet connection.
As a bonus, we walked through how to set up Plex Media Server and install the app on PS5 to stream your personal media collection to your console.

Hopefully these insights have given you the knowledge and confidence to communicate via whisper and use Plex like a pro. Go forth and whisper wisely!