Messages routinely get forgotten and go unanswered. The only gesture toward anything like this is an obscure Siri integration. What’s even wilder is that iMessage doesn’t have any other in-app way for the user to signal that they need to return to a message in order to respond to it. Not to mention you might miss out on some weekend fun.īut the most popular messaging app on iOS, Messages, has never implemented “Mark as Unread” even though users have been clamoring for it for years and it’s been rumored that they tested it. But if you don’t say anything now, you might forget to respond and then you’ll look like a bad friend. ![]() You have to respond to that but maybe it’s your stop already or you don’t know yet. Let’s say you’re riding the bus and you open a message from a friend, maybe asking you about your plans for the weekend. And its utility in a casual messaging context is much the same in the slightly more formal email context. “Mark as Unread” has been so successful and well-loved in email that it’s been copied by many messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. While some argue that flags should be used instead for this kind of message management, they miss the point that flags cannot and do not convey, to either the user or the software, the same meaning as a message being unread. A simple button to say “Oh yep, I know I clicked into it, but I didn’t actually read it or fully process it yet” is a great affordance for users to manage their communications that has stood the test of time. There’s a simple answer: it’s useful! The unread state of messages in an email app controls things like the number next to the current folder, the application’s badge, and the status indicator next to a message reminding you to look at it. But why? The software knows the message has been read why is it allowing the user to override that truth and rewrite history? JanuThe Case for “Mark as Unread” in Messagesįor decades, email apps like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail have all included a button to mark a message or thread as “unread”. They design & develop apps at Lickability and post about tech & culture here. Home About Now Then Contact RSS Matthew Bischoff ![]() The Case for “Mark as Unread” in Messages
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