However, there is some good news on that front because WhatsApp has announced that they will be introducing a new setting that will give users the option of how archived messages are handled. With this change, users can now choose if they want to keep archived messages hidden and muted, or if they want to keep the current behavior of the app.
Archive on WhatsApp lets you organize your private messages and prioritize important conversations. Your Archived chats will now remain archived and muted but you can always change them back! pic.twitter.com/QbAY6iu81p
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) July 27, 2021
If users opt for the former, this means that even if a thread from the archive becomes active again, it will remain archived and muted so you don’t need to bother with it. However, if they wish to participate in the chat, they can do so by unarchiving it manually. We’re not sure what took WhatsApp this long to introduce this feature as there have been many people who have expressed frustration at the dredging up of unwanted archived messages.
These changes should already be live so make sure that you have the latest version of WhatsApp if you’d like to take advantage of it.