badge notifications not working

With both Whatsapp and Google Hangouts, I have badge notifications selected for both apps in IOS (only badges, no banners or sounds, I just want the badges) and when I get messages on either, the badges never show up. I've had messages waiting for weeks because I don't use the apps often and the badge notifications never popped up. Whatsapp has additional notification settings in the app and I selected badge notifications there but still no badges work. Is it because apple hates any messaging app except their own that they don't let badges work for any other messaging app? Oddly it works fine for google voice and for kakao talk... but why not Whatsapp and Hangouts? Why the discrimination? Apple is so finicky.