WhatsApp spotted working on a toggle that clears unread message count

A future update to WhatsApp might help those who get intimidated after seeing a huge number of unread messages every day. The Meta-owned messaging platform is working on an option to clear unread message count, WABetaInfo discovered in WhatsApp beta for Android v2.24.11.13, which is now available through the Google Play Beta program.

A screenshot of the feature suggests WhatsApp will add a new toggle button "Clear unread when app opens" to the Notifications page. When turned on, it will automatically reset the unread message notifications every time the user opens WhatsApp.

The feature, which is not available to testers yet, is expected to improve how users manage their messages in the app. They can reduce the clutter of unread messages and take a fresh start to focus on the conversations they find important instead of "feeling pressured by a backlog of unread messages."

The website suggests the ability to clear unread message count could be helpful for users with high message volume from group chats. As of now, there is no word on when the feature will be available to beta testers and arrive on WhatsApp's stable version.

WhatsApp has been working to improve message organization in its app. Last month, WhatsApp introduced Chat Filters on Android and iOS that allow users to filter out all the groups they have joined and unread messages in the app with a single tap.

Speaking of group chats, it was recently reported that WhatsApp may also allow users to hide community group chats in a future update. Hidden chats will have a dedicated icon next to the group name to help users differentiate them from regular groups. Moreover, other community members will only be able to join a hidden group with an invite link.

The Meta-owned messaging platform is working on a stream of other features, including new Status updates UI, showing recent online users, in-app dialer, offline file transfer, picture-in-picture mode, and more.