WhatsApp announces new feature: Archive Chats to stay muted even after receiving new text

WhatsApp has rolled out a new Archived Chats feature wherein the Archived Chats will remain archived even when there is a new message or notification from them. Previously, the chats in the archived section popped up on the WhatsApp home page (where unarchived chats reside) on receiving a message or a notification, The new feature will allow users to keep unnecessary chats muted and provide better control over their inbox. Keep reading to know more about the WhatsApp Archive chats feature.

WhatsApp Archived Chats will stay archived, even on receiving a new message

Archive chats now remain muted 

WhatsApp announced the new archived chats feature on July 27, 2021, through a tweet that can be viewed below. Using the new feature, users can keep archived chats muted for as long as they want, as the chat will not pop up on getting messages or other notifications. However, users can still go to the archive section to view the archived chats. The update was initially provided to limited iPhone users last week and is now available to both Android and iOS users. 

Users can keep both individual and group chats in the archive without getting any notification from them 

To archive any individual or group chat, users need to tap and hold at the chat head, which will select the chat. Once the chat is selected, five options appear at the top right corner of the interface. The folder icon with an arrow (on the left of three dots) is the 'Archive Chat' option and users can tap on this to place the chat in the archive section. If the users wish to disable the new feature, it can be done by disabling 'Keep Chats Archived' option in the Chat Settings menu. 

Using archive, users can keep unimportant chats in a separate section

WhatsApp archive chats feature allows users to remove a chat from their home screen, and keep it in a separate section by archiving it. While users might use it to remove inactive chat heads from the 'Chats' tab, it can also be used to organize the inbox and prioritize important messages. Previously, whenever there was a new message or notification from an archived chat, the message used to pop in the main message menu, which was quite exasperating for some users. The WhatsApp Chat archive new feature has been in beta testing for a few years as it was seen for the first time in 2019.