The social network VKontakte remains one of the most popular communication platforms, and managing your own wall is a key skill for every user. Often a situation arises when you want to share news or photos, but are afraid of negative reviews, or vice versa - you want to stimulate discussion under the post. On the mobile platform Android the application interface may change, but the logic of the privacy settings remains unchanged. In this article, we will look in detail at how to manage the ability to comment on your posts directly from your smartphone.
Comment management is divided into two main scenarios: global settings for all future publications and specific editing of rights for existing posts. Understanding the difference between these modes will help you flexibly configure your privacy. You can close the wall from prying eyes or, conversely, make it an open platform for discussions. The process takes only a few minutes and does not require special technical knowledge.
It is worth considering that the mobile application interface VK is periodically updated by developers. The location of some buttons may move slightly, but the functionality remains the same. If you do not find a menu item in the described location, pay attention to icons with a similar meaning or use the search for settings inside your profile. The main thing is to know which parameter is responsible for access to discussions.
Global page privacy settings
The most effective way to manage comments is to set up the “Privacy” section in your profile. This is where you set default rules for all actions on your page. To get to this section, open the application and go to your profile by clicking on the person icon or your avatar in the lower right corner. Next, tap the gear icon Settings, which is usually located in the upper corner of the screen.
In the menu that opens, find the item Privacy. This is where all access control levers are concentrated. You will need to scroll down to the Posts per Page block. There you will see the option “Who can comment on my posts.” By default, the value may be “All users” or “Friends and subscribers,” which allows almost everyone to write under your posts.
By clicking on this item, you will open a list of possible restrictions. You can select the "Only Me" option, which will completely close the discussion to everyone except yourself. This is useful if you use the page as a personal archive or blog without feedback. More flexible settings are also available, for example, “Friends and lists”, where you can exclude specific people from the circle allowed to the dialogue.
- 🔒 Only me — complete blocking of comments from all users.
- 👥 Only me friends —only those you have added as friends can write.
- 🚫 Everything except.. —an open discussion with the ability to blacklist individual users.
- 📝 Some friends —access is allowed only for selected individuals from the contact list.
⚠️ Attention: Changing global privacy settings does not automatically affect comments under old ones entries, if they were left earlier. The new rules apply to all posts published after changing the settings, and also provide access to commenting on old posts if you have expanded access rights.
After selecting the desired item, the settings are saved instantly. You don't need to restart the app or confirm the action. Now anyone who tries to comment on your new post will see the restrictions you've set. This is the basic level of protecting your content from spam and unwanted attention.
Setting up comments for a separate post
Sometimes it becomes necessary to close the discussion under a specific post without changing the general profile settings. For example, you posted a provocative opinion or a personal photo and you don’t want to see quarrels in the comments under this post. In the mobile application on Android this function is implemented through the menu for managing a specific post.
Find the desired post on your wall. In the upper right corner of the post (or under the text, depending on the interface version) there is an icon with three dots •••. Clicking on it brings up a drop-down menu of actions. Among the options “Edit”, “Delete”, “Pin” you need to find the item Turn off commenting or Close comments.
If you want, on the contrary, to open comments under a post where they were previously closed, the algorithm of actions is similar. Go to the recording menu through three dots. If commenting is disabled, instead of the disable option you will see an option Enable commenting. Clicking on it will instantly activate the input field for all users who have access to your page according to global settings.
☑️ Check before publishing
This function is especially useful for public administrators or active bloggers who want to moderate the discussion manually or stop it altogether during peak moments of activity. Remember that disabling comments does not delete already written messages, they simply become unavailable for viewing and adding new ones until you enable this option again.
Hiding posts with certain comments
On VKontakte there is an interesting mechanism that allows you to hide a post from the wall if a too active or unwanted dispute has flared up under it. This is not exactly disabling comments, but it is an effective way to remove a post from public access along with all reactions to it. This function is available both in the full version of the site and in the mobile application.
To use this tool, go to the recording menu (three dots). Select item Hide post. The post will disappear from the wall for all users except you. It will be saved in the archive of hidden posts along with all comments and likes. You can return it back at any time by selecting the “Return to wall” option.
This solution is relevant if you do not want to delete the post forever, but the current discussion under it has gotten out of control. Hiding works like a "pause" for posting. It is worth noting that if someone managed to repost this post before it was hidden, then the comments may remain visible in the repost, since a copy of the post lives its own life with another user.
What do others see when hiding a post?
If you hide a post, it disappears from your friends’ news feed and from your page. However, if someone has a direct link to this post, they will still be able to click on it and see the content, but only until you change the privacy settings of the post itself to "Only me."
Managing a blacklist of users
A frequent reason for wanting to close comments is the activity of specific annoying users. Instead of closing the wall to everyone, it makes more sense to blacklist the troublemaker. This is a radical but effective measure that completely blocks this person’s interaction with your profile.
To add a user to an emergency, go to his profile through the app. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen and select Block. After this, the person will not be able to write you private messages, comment on your posts, like or even view your page (depending on your privacy settings).
The black list is managed through the privacy settings. In the section Privacy find the item Blacklist. There you will see a list of all blocked users and can delete any of them if the conflict is resolved. This is a flexible tool that allows you to precisely filter your audience without completely closing your profile.
| Action | Global settings | Blacklist | Disable under post |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blocks everyone | Yes (if you select "Only me") | No | No |
| Blocks a specific person | No | Yes | No |
| Applies to old posts | Partially | Yes | Only selected post |
| Hide comments | No | Yes | Yes |
Features of working in the mobile application
Users of mobile devices based on Android we often encounter the fact that some functions are hidden deeper than in the desktop version. The application interface is optimized for touch control, so some menu items can be grouped. For example, the “Who can comment” setting is sometimes hidden in the “Who sees basic information” submenu depending on the update version VK.
If you can’t find the switch you need, try updating the application via Google Play. Developers regularly release patches that fix interface bugs and return lost functions. It's also worth checking to see if you have "Incognito Mode" or other experimental features enabled in the app's settings that may affect the display of controls.
If you have closed comments but the input field is still visible, try closing the app completely (unload from memory) and launch it again. This will forcefully update the data from the server.
If the application is unstable, try clearing the cache in the phone settings: Settings → Applications → VK → Memory → Clear cache. This will not delete your data, but it may correct button display errors.
⚠️ Attention: The VKontakte application interface is updated quite often. The location of the buttons and the names of menu items may differ on different versions of the Android OS and in different builds of the application. If the described path does not match your screen, look for semantic analogies in the settings.
Solving common problems and errors
Users often encounter a situation where the settings are applied, but comments are still written or, conversely, not written even by friends. Most often this is due to a settings conflict. For example, you closed comments globally for everyone, but forgot to turn them back on for a specific post, or a friend tries to write to you, but is in a hidden list of restrictions.
Another common problem is technical failures of VKontakte servers. During periods of high load, commenting functionality may be temporarily disabled for all platform users. In this case, no settings on your phone will help, you just need to wait until the service is restored. Typically, such failures last from several minutes to an hour.
It is also worth checking whether you have been blocked by the user himself, who cannot leave a comment. If a person is on your blacklist, he will not be able to write. But if you are on his blacklist, you will see his posts, but your comments may not be posted or may not be visible to him. Diagnosing such situations requires checking friendship status and mutual blocks.
Most problems with comments can be resolved by checking two things: global privacy settings and whether the user is blacklisted.
In rare cases, the problem may be an outdated version of your smartphone's operating system. If your Android very old version (below 6.0), the application may not work correctly with new elements of the social network interface. In this case, the only solution is to update the phone software or use the mobile version of the site through a browser.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to close comments only for strangers, leaving them for friends?
Yes, this is possible. In your privacy settings, under “Who can comment on my posts,” select the “Friends and Followers” option. You can also select “Everyone except..” and manually add lists of “Strangers” or specific users there if you do not have a division into lists of friends.
Will users see a notification if I disable comments under their post?
No, VKontakte does not send notifications that you have closed comments under your post or restricted access to them. The user will only know about this if he tries to write a message and sees that the input field is inaccessible or hidden.
Why can’t I delete someone else’s comment under my post?
You can delete any comment under your post. To do this, you need to press and hold the comment text (or click on the three dots next to it) and select “Delete”. If there is no such option, perhaps you have a temporary application glitch or the post does not belong to you (for example, it is someone else’s post on your wall if the wall is open).
Does closing comments affect the promotion of a post in the feed?
Indirectly yes. Smart feed algorithms take into account audience engagement, including comments. If you disable commenting, you are reducing potential engagement on your post, which may reduce its reach slightly. However, for personal pages this factor is less critical than for public pages.
Is it possible to restore deleted comments after turning the function back on?
No. If you delete a comment, it disappears forever. If you simply turned off the commenting function (hid the input field), and then turned it back on, then the old comments that were written before the shutdown will remain in place and will be visible again.