Bug 506876 - ‘New!’ Badge in Application Launcher not cleared when Remember opened documents is disabled
Summary: ‘New!’ Badge in Application Launcher not cleared when Remember opened documen...
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: Application Launcher (Kickoff) widget (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.4.2
Platform: Arch Linux Linux
: NOR minor
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-07-10 17:03 UTC by Ashraf Mehdaly
Modified: 2025-08-26 19:40 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Settings to set as a workaround (22.69 KB, image/png)
2025-07-10 17:03 UTC, Ashraf Mehdaly
Details

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Description Ashraf Mehdaly 2025-07-10 17:03:08 UTC
Created attachment 183139 [details]
Settings to set as a workaround

Description:

    When KDE Plasma’s history tracking (“Remember opened documents” and “Keep history”) is disabled, the “New!” badge for newly installed applications in the Application Launcher will never disappear, even after launching the app multiple times.

    The current UI/UX does not inform the user that disabling recent history will prevent “New!” badges from being cleared, causing confusion. This can be fixed either by documenting the relationship, showing a warning when disabling history, or making the badge system independent of the activities service.

Steps to Reproduce:

    Go to System Settings → Workspace Behavior → Activities → Privacy/History.

    Set “Do not remember” for opened documents and/or set “Keep history” to “Do not keep.”

    Install a new app (e.g., via Discover).

    Notice the “New!” badge appears in the launcher and does NOT disappear after running the app.

Expected:
Badge should disappear after running the app, or user should be informed why it won’t.

Actual:
Badge remains indefinitely unless history tracking is enabled.

Proposed Solution:

    Show a tooltip/warning in the settings.

    Or document this behavior in KDE official docs.
Comment 1 Oliver Beard 2025-07-10 19:03:08 UTC
When I set System Settings > Recent Files > Remember opened documents: Do not remember, I am experiencing this behaviour.

The badge will still disappear after several days, but ultimately this behaviour of clearing it when launching the application should not be affected by this setting.
Comment 2 Kai Uwe Broulik 2025-07-10 19:06:04 UTC
Ahh, yeah I guess if you disable activity tracking, the service we use to detect app launches stops sending updates. Wonder what we could do about it. We could restore the code that makes the badge disappear when launching it from Kickoff but that won’t help with KRunner. Wonder if we could tap into startup feedback (the bouncy cursor) and track app launches that way?