This study examines pragmatic variation of written Swiss German dialects in digital communication. Focusing on WhatsApp group chats between teachers and students in Switzerland we explore whether dialectal writing varies by context, such as peer versus teacher-student interactions, suggesting formal and informal registers of digitally written Swiss German beyond the well-studied regional differences. The empirical data reveal significant variation in dialectal writing that reflect social and contextual qualities and show how emojis and punctuation indicate interactional (in)formality. The study thus demonstrates pragmatic variation and social indexicality in digitally written Swiss German and proposes a formality continuum based on orientation towards standard German orthography on the one hand and phonographic accuracy with respect to dialectal norms on the other.