WhatsApp has confirmed it will soon roll out disappearing messages feature which, once enabled, will make new messages sent in individual or group chats disappear after seven days.
As per the information provided on the FAQ page, enabling the settings will not affect the messages previously sent or received in chat.
While the users can themselves turn disappearing messages on and off for individual chats, in a group chat, only group admins can turn disappearing messages on or off.
Here are some of the key things to note about this new feature:
*If a user doesn’t open WhatsApp in seven days, the message will disappear. However, the preview of the message might still be displayed in notifications until WhatsApp is opened.
* When a user replies to a message, the initial message is quoted. If they 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.
Note: Only use disappearing messages with trusted individuals. For example, it’s possible for someone to:
* Forward or take a screenshot of a disappearing message and save it before it disappears.
* Copy and save content from the disappearing message before it disappears.
* Take a photo of a disappearing message with a camera or other device before it disappears.
* If disappearing messages are turned on, media sent in the chat will disappear, but will be saved on the phone if auto-download is on. Users can turn auto-download off in WhatsApp Settings > Data and Storage Usage.
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