Many users of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram have experienced the issue of archived chats reappearing in their main chat list. This can be annoying as archiving chats is a way to organize and declutter your messaging app. But when archived chats keep coming back, it defeats the purpose.
There are a few potential reasons why archived chats may return to the main chat list against your wishes:
New messages cause the chat to become unarchived
One of the most common triggers for archived chats reappearing is when you receive a new message in that chat. Messaging apps will often automatically unarchive a chat if someone sends you a new message in it. This is likely done so you don’t miss important new messages in old conversations.
But it can also mean that an old chat you archived gets pulled back into your main chat list with just a single message. Even if you don’t respond and re-archive it, it can be disruptive.
Syncing issues on linked devices
If you use messaging apps across multiple devices, like linking your WhatsApp account on both your phone and tablet, syncing issues can cause chats to become unarchived.
For example, you may have archived a chat on your phone but your tablet did not sync this change right away. The chat may then reappear as unarchived on your phone once the devices sync up.
Restoring from backup
If you ever need to restore your messaging app data from a backup, such as when getting a new phone, it’s common for archived chats to return as unarchived.
Backups may be outdated and not have your most recent archiving preferences saved. So when chats get restored, old archived conversations may reappear in your main chat list.
Bugs and glitches
In some cases, there may also be software bugs and glitches that cause archived chats to spontaneously become unarchived against your wishes.
Messaging apps have a lot of complex code running behind the scenes to manage your chats. A bug in the archiving/unarchiving functionality could definitely cause this frustrating issue.
When do archived chats reappear?
Based on user reports, there are some common triggering events that tend to precede archived chats reappearing:
- Receiving a new message in an archived chat
- An app update or reinstall on your device
- Switching to a new device
- Restoring chat history from a backup
- Certain actions like deleting messages or clearing cache
However, archived chats can also seem to become unarchived spontaneously without any clear cause. The app may have just glitched out temporarily.
Some users notice archived chats reappearing consistently at certain times, like when the app syncs data overnight while phone is charging.
How often do archived chats reappear?
How often archived chats return depends on the individual and their messaging app usage:
| User Type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Light messengers | Rarely |
| Moderate messengers | Occasionally |
| Heavy messengers | Frequently |
Heavy messengers who archive a lot of chats may deal with unarchiving issues on a daily basis. For lighter users it may only happen once in a while.
Frequency can also vary based on the particular app. Some apps like WhatsApp seem more prone to this issue than others.
But in general, the more you use messaging apps, the archiving system, and multiple devices – the more often you’ll encounter archived chats returning.
What are the common messaging apps where this happens?
The messaging apps where users most often report archived chats reappearing include:
- Facebook Messenger
- Telegram
- Signal
- Skype
WhatsApp in particular seems to have the most complaints about this problem. Telegram and Facebook Messenger also have many users venting frustrations about archived chats resurfacing.
Apps like iMessage, Line, and Viber have fewer reports of issues with archived chats. But the problem can still occasionally happen on any messaging platform.
What causes archived chats to keep returning?
There are a few key technical factors that enable archived chats to keep reappearing against your wishes:
Chat archiving is not permanent
Archiving a chat is not a permanent delete. It simply removes the chat from your main view. But the full chat history still exists in your account.
So the app can easily unarchive a chat and make it visible again. Permanent deletion tends to require more deliberate action.
Synchronization between devices
When you use a messaging app on multiple devices, there needs to be synchronization of your data across them. This includes chat archiving status.
If syncing fails or has any hiccups, it can lead to archived chats reappearing when your devices get out of sync.
Backups include chat history
Backups of your messaging app that restore full chat history are liable to bring back archived chats. Backups take a snapshot of your chats in time before recent archiving.
Bugs and glitches
The complexity of messaging app code means there is always potential for programming bugs that lead to inconsistent behavior in chat archiving.
User error
In some cases, users may believe they have archived a chat when they actually have not. What seems like a chat “reappearing” is actually just user error.
How can I stop archived chats from returning?
To help reduce archived chats coming back repeatedly, try these troubleshooting tips:
Frequently re-archive chats
Stay on top of re-archiving any chats that become unarchived. This can train the app to keep them archived.
Mute new messages
Mute notifications for an archived chat so new messages don’t pull it back into your list.
Disable auto-backup
Turn off any auto-backups to avoid backups undearchiving chats. Do manual backups only when needed.
Limit linked devices
Reduce the number of devices your account is linked to, which minimizes syncing issues.
Delete chats instead
Actually delete chats you want gone for good, rather than just archiving. But this loses chat history.
Check for app updates
Developers may fix archiving bugs in app updates, so keep your messaging apps updated.
Contact support
If nothing else works, contact the messaging app’s customer support. They may have specialized troubleshooting tips.
Conclusion
Archived chats returning is an annoying but common problem for active messaging app users. It’s most often caused by new messages, syncing failures, outdated backups restoring, and general software bugs.
Frequently re-archiving chats, limiting linked devices, and contacting customer support are some ways you may be able to mitigate the issue. But ultimately, messaging apps need to improve their archiving systems to make this problem far less prevalent.