By Ivan Mehta
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 dont have to go looking for that option in the app. Its already begun to rolling out on Android, but isnt 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 wasnt addressed specifically to you. This feature will come in handy for all those pesky family and colleagues groups that youve been added to without your consent.
Once its rolled out, youll be able to find this option in WhatsApps notification settings. Hallelujah!
We dont yet know exactly when these features will become available, but Vacation mode and Silent mode cant come soon enough. Weve contacted to learn more about their timeline and will update this post if theres a response.
This article has been previously published on The Next Web.