WhatsApp launches ‘disappearing messages’ option

WhatsApp launches ‘disappearing messages’ option

Sindhu.Hariharan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:06.11.2020 

Amid recent concerns around privacy of WhatsApp chats, the messaging app now wants to give users more control over their conversations.

WhatsApp has introduced a ‘Disappearing messages’ feature for its chats, which is being rolled out worldwide across both Android and iOS starting Thursday.

When the feature is turned on in a chat, messages part of the particular chat will disappear after seven days, helping keep the conversation more private.

In one-to-one chats, either person can turn the disappearing messages feature on or off, and in groups, the admins will have the control.

Photos, videos and other media files shared in the chats will also disappear if this feature is enabled, but they will still be saved on the phone if auto-download is on.

In a significant move, the feature of disappearing chats also extends to the chat backups.

A spokesperson for the app told TOI that if a user creates a backup before a message disappears, the disappearing message will be included in the backup, but the next time they back up their chats, the expired message is removed from the backup. “But it will still be there between the time it expires and when a user next backs up,” the person said. WhatsApp said it decided to start with a seven-day window since the timeline “offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about.”

As per WhatsApp’s FAQ page, this won’t work if a user forwards the message to a chat window that has disabled the feature, or takes a screenshot of a disappearing message and save it before it disappears. Similarly, if you reply to a disappearing message by quoting it, the quoted text might remain in the chat even after seven days.

The concept of making digital conversations short-lived and fleeting was earlier popularized by WhatsApp’s rival Telegram and social network platform Snapchat, who have had this feature for a few years now.