WhatsApp Re-Testing 'Clear Badge' Feature for Unread Messages
WhatsApp is retesting a recently nixed setting that lets users choose whether the app automatically clears the unread message count badge on its Home Screen icon after every launch.

WABetaInfo reports that the feature is controlled by a new toggle in WhatsApp's iOS notification settings, called "Clear Badge." The setting carries the description: "Your home screen badge clears completely after every time you open the app."
The option, which is already available in WhatsApp for Android, should serve to reduce clutter on the user's Home Screen, and potentially lessen "unread anxiety." WABetaInfo notes that the feature may have already appeared for some users in the past few weeks, including those on the stable release from the App Store. However, for reasons that remain unclear, WhatsApp decided to disable them shortly after their initial release.
The feature is currently making its way through beta testing again via TestFlight, so expect it to roll out to all WhatsApp users in the coming days.
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