After providing a glimpse of how the feature will work once rolled out, WhatsApp on Thursday finally launched it’s much-awaited “Disappearing Messages’ feature with a time limit of seven days before the message gets automatically deleted.
The feature is available for individual as well as group chats. However, in group chats, the group admins will be able to enable disappearing messages in group chats.
The Disappearing Messages feature is now official and will be rolled out to its 2-billion plus users during this month.
The Facebook-owned company said the goal is “to make conversations on WhatsApp feel as close to in-person as possible, which means they shouldn’t have to stick around forever”.
“That’s why we’re excited to introduce the option to use disappearing messages on WhatsApp. When the ‘disappearing messages’ feature is turned on, new messages sent to a chat will disappear after 7 days, helping the conversation feel lighter and more private,” it said in a statement.
“We’re starting with seven days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about. The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don’t,” it explained.
The Disappearing Messages feature will be available on all WhatsApp-supported devices including Android, iOS, and Linux-based KaiOS devices, along with WhatsApp Web and Desktop platforms, by the end of this month.
Earlier, WhatsApp, on its FAQ page, had also a full lowdown on how the ‘Disappearing Messages’ will work once enabled.
How WhatsApp new Disappearing Features works:
As mentioned, once Disappearing Messages feature is enabled, new messages sent in the individual or group chat will disappear after seven days.
- The most recent selection controls all messages in the chat. “This setting won’t affect messages you previously sent or received in the chat,” WhatsApp said in its support page.
- Disappearing messages will also wipe out photos and videos after seven days, and while messages will disappear for both parties it’s still possible to take screenshots or just simply copy messages before they are automatically deleted. Or, you can also save the photos or other content with auto-download on. You can turn auto-download off in WhatsApp Settings > Data and Storage Usage.
- If a user doesn’t open WhatsApp in the seven day period, the message will disappear. However, the preview of the message might still be displayed in notifications until WhatsApp is opened.
- When you reply to a message, the initial message is quoted. If you reply to a disappearing message, the quoted text might remain in the chat after seven days.
- If a disappearing message is forwarded to a chat with disappearing messages off, the message won’t disappear in the forwarded chat.
- If a user creates a backup before a message disappears, the disappearing message will be included in the backup. Disappearing messages will be deleted when a user restores from a backup.
How to enable or disable WhatsApp Disappearing messages feature:
How to switch on Disappearing Messages feature:
- Open the WhatsApp chat.
- Tap the contact’s name.
- Tap Disappearing messages.
- If prompted, tap CONTINUE.
- Select On.
How to switch off Disappearing Messages feature:
- Once disabled, messages sent in the chat will no longer disappear.
- Open the WhatsApp chat.
- Tap the contact’s name.
- Tap Disappearing messages.
- If prompted, tap CONTINUE.
- Select Off.
An important thing to note here is that once Disappearing Messages feature is on, there, however, is no option of customizing the time frame after which the messages will be deleted.
