Last year WhatsApp finally introduced disappearing messages or, as they are called in the application: temporary messages. The option was a bit disappointing for those looking for Snapchat-like ephemeral conversations or secret chats from other apps, as the period in which messages disappeared was one week.
Also, more features are on the way. On the one hand, the app has been working on one-time-only photos for a while now. On the other, it will let you choose to have messages disappear the next day by enabling temporary messages.
Whatsapp messages that last 24 hours
When we first learned that WhatsApp was working on disappearing messages – and we were able to test it when it was not yet activated – it had many more options than the feature that ended up being activated to users in November last year.
Initially, WhatsApp was considering giving the option to automatically delete messages one hour, one day, one week, one month, or one year later. Finally, users were presented with a single switch and a single setting: messages that automatically disappear after a week. Given this lack of options, when we learned that WhatsApp was now working on messages that disappear after 24 hours, the normal thing would be to think that it would replace the previous option. It seems that this will not be the case.
WhatsApp is testing again to let you choose the period in which you want messages to be deleted. There are not as many options as before, but for the moment two are shown: after a week or after a day. The latter is new.
Otherwise, the feature will behave the same as always: it is optional and any chat participant can change the settings. After the set time has passed, messages are automatically deleted, though otherwise there is no extra protection such as screenshot protection, so nothing prevents the other person from saving chats before they disappear.
Like all other WhatsApp features that are discovered before launch, everything could change before the feature reaches users if it finally arrives. We will probably know more about it in the coming weeks.
