WhatsApp groups can occasionally be useful, but they can also become the bane of your existence, with their annoying notifications that are hard to mute. But some new features spotted in a test build of the app by WABetaInfo might make groups a little less painful.
The first feature is called Silent mode, and it hides notification badges – an indication of the number of messages you received – for muted chats and groups. Silent mode is enabled by default, so you don’t have to go looking for that option in the app. It’s already begun to rolling out on Android, but isn’t available on iOS just yet.
Up next is Vacation mode, which will keep muted archived chats hidden from view – even if you get a new message. Previously, muted archived chats would pop back into your conversation list when someone sent a new message, even if it wasn’t addressed specifically to you. This feature will come in handy for all those pesky family and colleagues’ groups that you’ve been added to without your consent.
Once it’s rolled out, you’ll be able to find this option in WhatsApp’s notification settings. Hallelujah!
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We don’t yet know exactly when these features will become available, but Vacation mode and Silent mode can’t come soon enough. We’ve contacted to learn more about their timeline and will update this post if there’s a response.
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