WHATSAPP August 29, 2024 at 12:13 pm
WhatsApp is testing a new feature for Android phones. It could develop into a ghosting tool.
With the new feature, you can take the pressure off the view of your messenger – if you want. You can also ghost contacts with it. (Source: WhatsApp/Mark Zuckerberg)
If you use the messenger WhatsApp on an Android smartphone, you will soon get a feature that iPhone users have been able to use for some time and that can instantly relax your chat overview with just one click.
Like the fan blog WABetaInfo reported, the messenger is working on giving Android users the opportunity to mark all unread messages from different chats as “read” with just one click. WABetaInfo provides a screenshot from WhatsApp Beta 2.24.18.11 for Android, in which the new option “Mark all as read” appears in the chat overview via “Settings” and can be selected.
Easier than Apple – WhatsApp saves one click on Android
This feature has been available to you for a while if you use WhatsApp on the iPhone. However, you have to make an additional click to mark all your chats as read. First, tap the three dots at the top left, then select the option “Select chats” and finally the option “Mark all as read” appears in the bottom middle.
According to WABetaInfo’s screenshots, the future option for Android devices will appear right after clicking the three dots at the top right, saving a click.
Marking chats as read without reading them: a blessing and a curse feature
This feature is useful if you don’t want to be overwhelmed by high numbers in your chat overview and don’t want to feel pressure to open the chat just because of the unread messages. However, it could also be used as a ghosting tool that allows you to ignore others completely. So it could also become a controversial feature. You have to decide for yourself how you want to use the feature and whether it makes sense for you.
By the way: It is unclear whether the new “Mark as read” function will also result in read receipts being sent via the blue ticks between two people who have activated it. Imagine that among the messages marked as read there is also a chat with a person to whom you may not have wanted to send a read receipt. Or a person whose message you completely forget and who then feels ignored. Potentially unpleasant.
For Android, the Mark All Messages as Read feature is currently under development, but WABetaInfo expects it to be available in one of the upcoming updates.
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