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.

Whatsapp Feature
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.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Report: Apple to Launch These New Products in 2026

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:34 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.1 With Liquid Glass Toggle, Slide to Stop Alarm, New Apple Intelligence Languages and More

Monday November 3, 2025 1:11 pm PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.1 comes over a month after iOS 26 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.1 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
Early Black Friday Deals 2

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Sunday November 2, 2025 10:04 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...

Top Rated Comments

deg0ey Avatar
9 months ago
Isn’t that how it always worked? Most annoying thing about WhatsApp is that if you leave a message to read later the badge disappears and you have to remember to go back to it on your own unlike almost every other app.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OhFrenchman Avatar
9 months ago
Yes, and you can disable that behavior, the setting has been present for a while. Just disable "Clear badge" in the Notifications settings of WhatsApp.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
revfife Avatar
9 months ago
I know it has a big user base in the rest of the world, but the only thing I've seen WhatsApp used for in the states is spoofing phone numbers and scam artists. I know several people who have had their instagram accounts hacked through WhatsApp spoofing.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alayal Avatar
9 months ago

Yes, and you can disable that behavior, the setting has been present for a while. Just disable "Clear badge" in the Notifications settings of WhatsApp.
I have missed this feature, it is the most annoying thing about WhatsApp and now it solve, thank you!
Hopefully some day they add a AW app…
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joeblow7777 Avatar
9 months ago
That's nice, but I wish they would just make an iPad app already.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
9 months ago
I wish Apple had a universal setting for read notifications. Every time I touch my iPad, I am being greeted with a million notifications, dating back days, which I have already cleared on my iPhone.

Somehow this actually works with WhatsApp, even between iPhone, Android and MacBook. I read the message on one device, it turns to read on the other devices yet apps like instagram … nope
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)