WhatsApp May Soon Let You Keep Home Screen Notifications Until You Read Them

Highlights

• WhatsApp is testing a new notification setting to ‘show count until viewed’ in beta.
• It keeps the home screen badge visible until unread messages and calls are manually viewed.
• There’s no confirmed timeline for the feature’s rollout to all users.
• It could arrive in a future update since it’s already appearing in beta.

If you rely on WhatsApp for messaging, you’ve probably noticed how the home screen badge notification works. It shows a red counter indicating the number of pending notifications. However, the counter disappears as soon as you open the app, even if you haven’t checked any of your unread messages.

This can be frustrating for users who want to keep track of conversations and it increases the risk of missing messages if the app is opened accidentally.

Now, WhatsApp seems to be working on a fix.

New WhatsApp Notification Toggle Spotted in Beta

According to WABetaInfo, the latest WhatsApp beta (version 2.25.4.20) introduces a new notification setting under ‘Home screen notifications’ in the app’s settings.

📝 WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.4.20: what’s new?

WhatsApp is working on a feature to better manage home screen chat notifications, and it will be available in a future update!https://t.co/LaknQv4Y9d pic.twitter.com/rT9QIHCrJk

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) February 21, 2025

A new toggle called ‘Show count until viewed’ is being tested and its description states, “Show total unseen messages and calls on the WhatsApp icon until you view them.”

WABetaInfo explains, “In the screenshot on the left, you can see the current feature that lets users clear the app icon’s notification count completely when they open the app. On the right, you can see that WhatsApp is exploring the implementation of a feature that will allow home screen chat notifications to remain visible until they are manually viewed, scheduled for release in a future update.”

If enabled, the home screen badge will remain visible until you manually view unread messages and calls. If disabled, WhatsApp will continue with its current behaviour, where the badge disappears as soon as you open the app. The current way is helpful if you want to keep messages unread without constant alerts.

As of now, there’s no confirmed timeline for when this feature will roll out to all users. However, since it’s already appearing in beta, it could arrive in a future update soon.

FAQs

Q1. What is the new notification setting being tested in WhatsApp beta?

Answer. The latest WhatsApp beta (version 2.25.4.20) introduces a new notification setting under ‘Home screen notifications’ called ‘Show count until viewed’.

Q2. How does the new ‘Show count until viewed’ setting work?

Answer. If enabled, the home screen badge will remain visible until you manually view unread messages and calls. If disabled, the badge disappears as soon as you open the app.

Q3. Is there a confirmed timeline for when the new notification feature will roll out to all users?

Answer. As of now, there’s no confirmed timeline for when this feature will roll out to all users, but since it’s already appearing in beta, it could arrive in a future update soon.

Also Read: WhatsApp Faces Stricter EU Rules for Getting ‘Very Large Online Platform’ Status, Needs to Tackle Illegal Content on the Platform

Also Read: How to Stop Notifications in Mobile Phone