Since Facebook shifted messaging on its platform to a separate stand-alone app, users were not satisfied. A couple of years later, despite ads and whatnot, people grew to like the app. Although, it does have its share of bugs. One common example is linked to Facebook when Messenger shows an unread message on the Android app. Of course, even if there are no unread messages whatsoever.
We made sure to help you address this recurring issue. Follow the steps below to find out how to get rid of the undread badge bug for good.
Table of contents:
- Sign in via a browser to Facebook and open recent messages
- Clear the app’s cache and data
- Reinstall Facebook Messenger
- Downgrade Facebook Messenger via an APK
How do I get rid of the messenger notification when there are no messages?
Solution 1 – Sign in via a browser to Facebook and open recent messages
This isn’t a permanent solution but it will relieve you of that annoying 1 notification sign whenever you enter Facebook for Android. Namely, this has something to do with the general implementation of Facebook Messenger as a related but separate entity.
The easiest way to clear the notifications from Facebook Messenger showing on Facebook is to log in to Facebook via a browser. Once there, just open Messages and check the grayed all messages you got since the problem started. Open them and close the browser.
Also, if you have a page account connected, make sure to do the same for it, as well.
That’s it. Now the Messenger notifications should disappear. Have in mind that you might need to repeat this if the steps below fail to address the issue permanently.
Solution 2 – Clear the app’s cache and data
Since there’s no way to log out from Facebook Messenger (ludicrous, I know), the second-best thing is to clear cache and data. That way, you’ll automatically log out of the app while clearing that pesky locally-stored cache that occasionally gets corrupt.
Follow these steps to clear cache and data from Facebook Messenger:
- Open Settings.
- Choose Apps.
- Tap All apps (App manager or Manage apps).
- Open Messenger.
- Tap Storage.
- Clear cache first and then data.
- Reboot your device, and log in to your Messenger account again. Once you open Facebook again, the unread notification badge should be gone.
Solution 3 – Reinstall Facebook Messenger
Moving on, you should also ensure that you have the latest version of Facebook Messenger installed. That way, certain bugs/temporary issues, should be mitigated. Updating an app on the Play Store is rather simple. However, it’s even better to reinstall the app.
Follow these instructions to reinstall Facebook Messenger and remove undread notifications:
- Navigate again to Settings > Apps > All apps > Messenger.
- Uninstall the app and clear cache and data when prompted.
- Navigate to the Play Store and install the app.
- Reboot your device.
- Log in again.
Solution 4 – Downgrade Facebook Messenger via an APK
Finally, if not a single aforementioned solution helped you out and Messenger still shows unread message notifications on Android, there’s still one more thing you can do. Downgrading apps is impossible with just the Play Store, but it is quite a simple procedure with third-party APK sources.
Follow these instructions to download and install an older version of Messenger:
- Uninstall Facebook Messenger.
- Navigate to APK Mirror or use any APK aggregator and look for Facebook Messenger.
- Download the APK. We recommend that the APK is not older than 2 months and that it’s not a Beta release.
- Run the APK and allow the installation of third-party apps on your device when prompted.
- Clear cache and data and then sign in with your credentials.
With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and, in case you have any questions or alternative solutions, feel free to tell us in the comments section below.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in February 2020. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
