WhatsApp has a feature to mute chats so you don't get updates all the time for group chats you only want to visit that often.

In the last few weeks I have noticed that if I am using my phone a WhatsApp notification shows up in the status bar which says - "Checking for updates" but it's only updates in muted chats. However seeing that notification makes you engage with the app. Very annoying and under handed to get more engagement.