WhatsApp has started rolling out a new feature to beta testers that could make it easier to keep track of messages received on the app. The reminders feature that informs users about missed status updates has been updated with the ability to receive reminders for messages, on the latest beta version of the app for Android. The feature is designed in such a way that WhatsApp will only notify users about updates and messages from prioritised contacts, according to a feature tracker.
WhatsApp Message Reminders Rely on Internal Algorithm
After updating to WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.25.29 (via feature tracker WABetaInfo), the description for the feature seen under Settings > Notifications > Reminders has been updated to state that the app will provide occasional reminders for messages, in addition to status updates. Gadgets 360 was unable to access the feature even after installing the latest beta version, which suggests that it is slowly rolling out to testers.
WhatsApp’s Reminders feature has been updated
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
Once the feature is turned on, users will see notifications about messages that they might not have seen on the app. WhatsApp has yet to provide any information related to how the feature works, or whether it will show reminders for unseen messages and status updates for all contacts.
According to the feature tracker, the Reminders feature will inform users about unseen messages from specific contacts, and these will be selected based on interactions in the app. The reminders will reportedly be based on an algorithm that runs on the user’s phone, so a fresh installation of WhatsApp will generate the list of contacts a user has been in touch with again.
It appears that the feature was designed to send out reminders for select conversations in order to prevent the app from inundating users with status updates and messages from all of their contacts. This feature is expected to roll out to more beta testers in the coming days, and could eventually be made available to all WhatsApp users at a later date.
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As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More
