In this article
The red number on the Telegram icon is, by default, every unread message added together. Three busy channels and it reads four figures, which tells you nothing at all about whether anyone needs you.
One setting changes it to count conversations instead of messages. A channel with five thousand unread posts then adds one to the badge, and the number becomes a list of people to answer.
What you will be able to do
- check_circle Switch the badge from counting messages to counting chats.
- check_circle Keep muted chats out of the count entirely.
- check_circle Get the number down to something that means "this needs you".
- check_circle Recognise when the badge is not the problem.
Both switches are on the notifications screen, near the bottom, under a heading most people scroll past.
notifications_active Two ways to count the same inbox
The default adds up unread messages. It is an honest number and a useless one: it is dominated by whichever channels post most, and it moves constantly without any of the movement being about you.
The alternative counts unread chats. Every conversation with anything unread contributes exactly one, whether that is a single message from a friend or nine hundred from a news feed. The badge stops measuring volume and starts measuring how many places want a response.
The second switch decides whether muted chats are counted at all. Muting something is a statement that it does not need your attention, and leaving it in the badge contradicts that. Turning it off is what actually gets the number down.
Four inboxes and what the badge should say
The right configuration depends on what you use Telegram for, which is not the same for everybody.
feed Subscribed to a lot
group Busy groups for work
person Mostly direct messages
visibility_off The number is still high
For most people: count chats, exclude muted, and mute anything that is not a person.
settings Where the switches are
- Open Notifications Settings, then Notifications and Sounds.
- Scroll to the badge section Near the bottom, past the per-chat-type settings.
- Turn on counting by chat The badge changes immediately.
- Turn off including muted chats This is the one that produces the drop.
- Then mute the noisy things The settings only help once something is muted to exclude.
This page is the number on the icon. The curriculum step is everything upstream of it: which chats are allowed to make a sound, keyword and mention exceptions, and how to arrange a hundred conversations so only a few can interrupt you.
At a glance
- 1Count chats
Make the badge count chats instead of messages.
- 2Exclude muted
Keep muted chats out of the number.
- 3Make it meaningful
Aim for a badge that means 'this needs you'.
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