Badge count on iOS app icon

[timabbott]

As part of our effort to display unread message counts, we should make sure to include an unread messages bad on the app icon.

[edited following discussion below]

We want to show a badge on the app's icon on the iOS home screen when the user has notifications for messages they haven't read.

[divs4debu]

@timabbott While searching for this i found this stackoverflow link - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17565307/how-to-display-count-of-notifications-in-app-launcher-icon
It says we could it using widgets as vanilla android doesnot allow you to draw on app icon. What are your thoughts?

[timabbott]

There seem to be a number of apps that do this on Android without requiring the user to install a widget; it's probably worth doing a bit more research into options for doing this.

[borisyankov]

@divs4debu Note the date of the question on StackOverflow. Things move fast on mobile and 4 years is definitely an eternity.

I actually have not seen an app on stock Android doing the badges (while it is a standard feature on iOS). Maybe it is very dependent on what launcher the user has?!?

In any way, there are prerequisites to be implemented before this is even possible. We need to add mechanism for the app to pull messages while not running.

[divs4debu]

@borisyankov the mechanism for app to pull messages while not running could be -

• https://facebook.github.io/react-native/docs/native-modules-android.html
  currently i found this i will do a bit more research as suggested by you and @timabbott.

@timabbott can you mention some apps that does that i would like to do specific research on app that does that.

[jainkuniya]

facebook app is a good example.

[borisyankov]

@vishwesh3 what is Facebook an example for? Not sure I follow.

@divs4debu ideally the solution will be both for Android and iOS.

Related issue:
#408

[jainkuniya]

@vishwesh3 what is Facebook an example for? Not sure I follow.
Showing counts on icon

[divs4debu]

@vishwesh3 i just downloaded the facebook app but it doesnt show any badge and i have 11 notification 2 messages on facebook . This might be due to some mobile provide this function and some not .

[divs4debu]

@borisyankov Using headless.js would help only if app is not focus but wont help when app is closed . We can wait for 0.44 update. it might have some component for that

[jainkuniya]

ok. This might depend on phone UI or launcher.

[jainkuniya]

yup! it depends on mobile launcher
In my default launcher it is showing

but not showing in google now launcher