WhatsApp for Android's beta users get reminder feature for unseen Status updates and messages
WhatsApp has been testing a reminder feature for unseen Status updates since September, which is now available for Android users enrolled in WhatsApp's beta program.
This reminder feature will also send you notifications for unread messages, and it is available with beta version 2.24.25.29 of WhatsApp for Android. The toggle button to turn this on/off is under the Settings > Notifications > Reminders menu. When this feature is turned on, WhatsApp will send you reminder notifications for Status updates and messages you have not seen.
WABetaInfo reports that the selection of contacts for which you'll receive notifications is "determined by an internal algorithm that prioritizes contacts with whom users interacted most frequently." Furthermore, "this algorithm only applies to the current instance of WhatsApp," meaning "If a user reinstalls the app, WhatsApp must recalculate these interactions, as this data is not saved in backups or on the server."
WhatsApp sending reminder notifications for unseen Status updates and messages from frequently interacted contacts is appreciated, but having an option to receive notifications for contacts users selected would have also been useful. Perhaps WhatsApp could add this with a future update before rolling the feature to everyone through the stable channel.
If you are an Android user and don't want to wait for the stable rollout of this feature, you can enroll in the beta program and start using it.