I just discovered that the unread message count badges were a Touchwiz only feature that went away with the Oreo update on my S7. The default Android Oreo way (which is now the only way) is awful; the count is just the number of undismissed notifications.

It amazes me that iOS has had this from day one, third party Android vendors including Samsung, Sony, and HTC have all created they own solutions, and yet Android made it to the letter "P" still without this feature.

I just upgraded to Oreo this week it remains to be seen just how many emails and messages I'm going to miss now that I can't see whether or not I have anything unread in these applications. It's frustrating.

The current belief is that constantly engaging with our smartphones has damaged our lives. We're unable to focus because we allow constant interruptions and we habitually check our phones instead of being present.

The current trend is to do away with these distractions and allow people to focus.

What you're arguing for is the exact opposite. You're asking for the distraction. Persistent reminders that you are neglecting a particular App.

You have it backwards. A badge on an icon is a passive indicator not a notification! When I look at my phone, I want to see if I have an unread message.

The Oreo model means I either have to have notifications (which are actual distractions) or I simply have no clue if something needs to be dealt with. For a device designed for communication, this is important. It's not a distraction, it's literally the reason I have the device.

While I like badge notification, they can be distracting. I sometimes find myself opening apps just to remove the badge icon.

Don't worry, next year it'll be introduced on Android.