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Just over a month ago, WhatsApp introduced a new feature that would occasionally nudge users about status story updates from their contacts list. Now, the company has made a subtle change to it and added messages into the fold, as well.
The feature, which is currently rolling out in the test channel with the v2.24.25.29 build on Android, was first spotted by update tracker WABetaInfo. DigitalTrends can confirm that the feature is now live in the latest beta version available via the Google Play Store.
Available as a dedicated toggle in the Notifications settings, the feature will occasionally remind users “about messages or status updates” they haven’t seen in a while. It is unclear how frequently these reminders will appear in the app or as standalone notifications.
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Moreover, the app doesn’t offer any details about prioritization for sending these reminders and whether they will be exclusive to contacts that users frequently engage with. However, WABetaInfo suggests it will be algorithmically driven based on frequent conversations.
“If a user reinstalls the app, WhatsApp must recalculate these interactions, as this data is not saved in backups or on the server,” says the report. The overwhelming goal is that users don’t miss out on messages sent by friends or family members.
The new tool might not sound like a massive shift, but it is a game-changer in countries where business entities — ranging from banking providers and telecom operators to instant grocery delivery services and giants such as Amazon — send critical communications and alerts on WhatsApp.
Moreover, there are a whole bunch of marketplaces and small businesses that maintain customer outreach via WhatsApp, down to the seamless integration of digital payments. The barrage of messages from all these services often gets overwhelming and buries important messages from acquaintances. This is where the new Reminders feature in WhatsApp comes to the rescue.
The idea is not too different from the nudge system in Gmail, which first arrived in 2018 and was later implemented in Google’s Messages app as well. In the Messages app, the nudge tool alerts users about texts that might require a follow-up and the birthdays of their contacts.
Unfortunately, there is no word when the Reminders feature will be released for WhatsApp users via the stable channel. WhatsApp currently has nearly 3 billion users worldwide, as per Statista estimates, and has become a lifeline for personal communication as well as business outreach in regions like Asia and Latin America. Offering billions of users an opportunity to catch up on messages they may have missed is a step in the right direction.
