Dynamic and secure real-time notifications in messages

A system comprising:

• at least one hardware processor;
• and
• a iron-transitory machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
• storing a count of notifications associated with a user of an online service;
• transmitting a message to a messaging client of a computing device of the user via a network, the message being configured to trigger the messaging client to transmit an image request to the at least one hardware processor in response to the message being opened, the count of notifications being at a first value when the message is transmitted to the messaging client;
• subsequent to transmitting the message to the messaging client, changing the count of notifications from the first value to a second value different from the first value;
• receiving the image request from the messaging client based on the message having been opened within the messaging client;
• in response to receiving the image request, determining the count of notifications to be the second value;
• retrieving an image from a database of images based on the second value of the count of notifications, the image indicating the second value of the count of notifications;
• and
• transmitting the retrieved image to the messaging client for display in the opened message.

A non-transitory machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one hardware processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

• storing a count of notifications associated with a user of an online service;
• transmitting a message to a messaging client of a computing device of the user via a network, the message being configured to trigger the messaging client to transmit an image request to the at least one processor in response to the message being opened, the count of notifications being at a first value when the message is transmitted to the messaging client;
• subsequent to transmitting the message to the messaging client, changing the count of notifications from the first value to a second value different from the first value;
• receiving the image request from the messaging client based on the message having been opened within the messaging client;
• in response to receiving the image request, determining the count of notifications to be the second value;
• retrieving an image from a database of images based on the second value of the count of notifications, the image indicating the second value of the count of notifications;
• and
• transmitting the retrieved image to the messaging client for display in the opened message.