Problem Definition

Since about Jira 7.3, Jira Server and Data Center installations have started including the whisper plugin. This plugin provides in product notifications in applications like Jira. These notifications are controlled by Atlassian. These can be used to inform users of new features or notify users of critical updates.

As a system administrator, I want to control which of my Jira end users see this message, and be able to stop showing users this message when I choose.

Suggested Solution

Update whisper plugin to provide more granular control over these notifications by a system administrator. Such as the ability to dismiss a specific message from appearing for other users. And the ability to see which user-roles will see a specific message

Why this is important

It can help provide system administrators more control over the messages and content that appear to their end users. Many times end users could be seeing messages that urge them to upgrade Jira when Jira has already been upgraded, or when that user does not have privileges to actually perform the upgrade themselves. In turn these can lead to many users reaching out to the Jira system admin to remind them of an upgrade.

Workaround

It is possible to disable the whisper plugin entirely, however this is not recommended by Atlassian as it would prevent the system from getting any such notifications at all.