Facebook testing notification badge controls for its mobile app

Facebook is allegedly testing the ability to turn notifications for specific parts of its mobile app on and off. After spending years trying to figure out how to keep people engaged within its app, Facebook is finally taking a step in the direction of decency, with the realisation that people don’t need to be constantly poked (no pun intended) about something that they “may” be missing.

Discovered by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, the feature is currently being tested on both iOS and Android versions of Facebook’s mobile apps. The feature would allow you to turn on or off badges within the Facebook Mobile app for each of the tabs such as groups, marketplace etc. Facebook said in a statement to TechCrunch that “We are testing new ways to give people more control over the notifications they receive in the Facebook app.”

Facebook has been under fire for a long time now for the way it works on keeping users hooked to the app, given that the company’s revenue depends on the average time users spend on the app. Badges, in that regard, served as a constant nudge for users to open the app. Facebook, however, is not alone in creating products that have had an irresponsible impact on consumers. Most tech companies have been at the receiving end of parents’ ire for making their products addictive. This prompted companies like Google and Apple to introduce software controls in their smartphone OS called Digital Wellbeing and Screen Time respectively. Facebook too was planning a similar feature, but for now, we will have to settle with the ability to control which tabs within their mobile app get to generate a visible notification. The feature is currently in testing and there is no word on when Facebook will actually roll it out to the public.

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