diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge.tsx
index b742f8e8e7..65ccc88c5f 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge.tsx
@@ -32,13 +32,14 @@ import ActiveRoomObserver from "../../../ActiveRoomObserver";
 import { EventEmitter } from "events";
 import { arrayDiff } from "../../../utils/arrays";
 import { IDestroyable } from "../../../utils/IDestroyable";
+import SettingsStore from "../../../settings/SettingsStore";
 
 export const NOTIFICATION_STATE_UPDATE = "update";
 
 export enum NotificationColor {
     // Inverted (None -> Red) because we do integer comparisons on this
     None, // nothing special
-    Bold, // no badge, show as unread
+    Bold, // no badge, show as unread // TODO: This goes away with new notification structures
     Grey, // unread notified messages
     Red,  // unread pings
 }
@@ -53,18 +54,45 @@ interface IProps {
     notification: INotificationState;
 
     /**
-     * If true, the badge will conditionally display a badge without count for the user.
+     * If true, the badge will show a count if at all possible. This is typically
+     * used to override the user's preference for things like room sublists.
      */
-    allowNoCount: boolean;
+    forceCount: boolean;
+
+    /**
+     * The room ID, if any, the badge represents.
+     */
+    roomId?: string;
 }
 
 interface IState {
+    showCounts: boolean; // whether or not to show counts. Independent of props.forceCount
 }
 
 export default class NotificationBadge extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
+    private countWatcherRef: string;
+
     constructor(props: IProps) {
         super(props);
         this.props.notification.on(NOTIFICATION_STATE_UPDATE, this.onNotificationUpdate);
+
+        this.state = {
+            showCounts: SettingsStore.getValue("Notifications.alwaysShowBadgeCounts", this.roomId),
+        };
+
+        this.countWatcherRef = SettingsStore.watchSetting(
+            "Notifications.alwaysShowBadgeCounts", this.roomId,
+            this.countPreferenceChanged,
+        );
+    }
+
+    private get roomId(): string {
+        // We should convert this to null for safety with the SettingsStore
+        return this.props.roomId || null;
+    }
+
+    public componentWillUnmount() {
+        SettingsStore.unwatchSetting(this.countWatcherRef);
     }
 
     public componentDidUpdate(prevProps: Readonly<IProps>) {
@@ -75,24 +103,34 @@ export default class NotificationBadge extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IStat
         this.props.notification.on(NOTIFICATION_STATE_UPDATE, this.onNotificationUpdate);
     }
 
+    private countPreferenceChanged = () => {
+        this.setState({showCounts: SettingsStore.getValue("Notifications.alwaysShowBadgeCounts", this.roomId)});
+    };
+
     private onNotificationUpdate = () => {
         this.forceUpdate(); // notification state changed - update
     };
 
     public render(): React.ReactElement {
         // Don't show a badge if we don't need to
-        if (this.props.notification.color <= NotificationColor.Bold) return null;
+        if (this.props.notification.color <= NotificationColor.None) return null;
 
         const hasNotif = this.props.notification.color >= NotificationColor.Red;
         const hasCount = this.props.notification.color >= NotificationColor.Grey;
-        const isEmptyBadge = this.props.allowNoCount && !localStorage.getItem("mx_rl_rt_badgeCount");
+        const hasUnread = this.props.notification.color >= NotificationColor.Bold;
+        const couldBeEmpty = !this.state.showCounts || hasUnread;
+        let isEmptyBadge = couldBeEmpty && (!this.state.showCounts || !hasCount);
+        if (this.props.forceCount) {
+            isEmptyBadge = false;
+            if (!hasCount) return null; // Can't render a badge
+        }
 
         let symbol = this.props.notification.symbol || formatMinimalBadgeCount(this.props.notification.count);
         if (isEmptyBadge) symbol = "";
 
         const classes = classNames({
             'mx_NotificationBadge': true,
-            'mx_NotificationBadge_visible': hasCount,
+            'mx_NotificationBadge_visible': isEmptyBadge ? true : hasCount,
             'mx_NotificationBadge_highlighted': hasNotif,
             'mx_NotificationBadge_dot': isEmptyBadge,
             'mx_NotificationBadge_2char': symbol.length > 0 && symbol.length < 3,
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSublist2.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSublist2.tsx
index 08a41570e3..562c307769 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSublist2.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSublist2.tsx
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ export default class RoomSublist2 extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
 
                     // TODO: Collapsed state
 
-                    const badge = <NotificationBadge allowNoCount={false} notification={this.state.notificationState}/>;
+                    const badge = <NotificationBadge forceCount={true} notification={this.state.notificationState}/>;
 
                     let addRoomButton = null;
                     if (!!this.props.onAddRoom) {
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile2.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile2.tsx
index 9f4870d437..7f91b5ee9d 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile2.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomTile2.tsx
@@ -248,7 +248,13 @@ export default class RoomTile2 extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
             'mx_RoomTile2_minimized': this.props.isMinimized,
         });
 
-        const badge = <NotificationBadge notification={this.state.notificationState} allowNoCount={true} />;
+        const badge = (
+            <NotificationBadge
+                notification={this.state.notificationState}
+                forceCount={false}
+                roomId={this.props.room.roomId}
+            />
+        );
 
         // TODO: the original RoomTile uses state for the room name. Do we need to?
         let name = this.props.room.name;
diff --git a/src/settings/Settings.js b/src/settings/Settings.js
index ca8647e067..7cf0e629ec 100644
--- a/src/settings/Settings.js
+++ b/src/settings/Settings.js
@@ -188,6 +188,11 @@ export const SETTINGS = {
         default: true,
         invertedSettingName: 'MessageComposerInput.dontSuggestEmoji',
     },
+    // TODO: Wire up appropriately to UI (FTUE notifications)
+    "Notifications.alwaysShowBadgeCounts": {
+        supportedLevels: LEVELS_ROOM_OR_ACCOUNT,
+        default: false,
+    },
     "useCompactLayout": {
         supportedLevels: LEVELS_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS,
         displayName: _td('Use compact timeline layout'),