WhatsApp Just Launched A Disappearing Messages Feature. See What People Think About It and How to Use It

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On Thursday, November 5th, Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced that it has introduced a new disappearing messages feature to the app. This means that all WhatsApp users can now access this feature that will see all new messages, including videos and images, sent within selected chats self-erase after 7 days. 

Introducing disappearing messages. Now you can set chats to disappear after 7 days. Because not all messages need to stick around forever. pic.twitter.com/3Ny2mVxSaQ — WhatsApp Inc. (@WhatsApp) November 5, 2020

The app, which boasts over 2 billion users and about 100 billion messages sent per day is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. WhatsApp says it settled on 7 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”.

This 7-day limit on disappearing messages will hold regardless of whether or not the messages get read. However, the recipient of the messages might still see it in the notification bar of their phone after it has self-deleted. 

Enabling this setting on your WhatsApp will not impact previously sent messages in a chat. Users can turn on the feature for direct messages, but only admins can enable the feature for group chats. 

For the average user, this means that you can have more privacy in your chats and as you know once your messages are deleted they cannot be accessed again. It also means a reduction in clutter and eliminates the need to manually delete messages. 

As WhatsApp notes, this method does not guarantee full privacy, however, because messages can be screenshot by whoever you are chatting with or forwarded to another chat.

Interested in using this feature? Here’s how to turn on or off WhatsApp disappearing messages features:

Enabling Disappearing Messages.

Private Chat:
Either you or the person you are chatting with can enable disappearing messages in a private chat. From the time this feature is enabled, all new messages in that chat will disappear after 7 days. 

• Open the WhatsApp chat.
• Tap the contact’ name.
• Tap Disappearing messages. If prompted, tap CONTINUE. 
• Select ‘On’. 

Group Chat:
If you are a group admin, you can turn disappearing message on in the group chat. 

• Open the WhatsApp group chat.
• Tap the group name.
• Tap Disappearing messages. If prompted, tap CONTINUE.
• Select ‘On’.

Disabling Disappearing Messages.

Private Chat:
As with the enabling step, either you or the person you are chatting with can disable the disappearing message feature. Once disabled, messages will no longer disappear from the chat.

• Open the WhatsApp chat.
• Tap the contact’s name.
• Tap Disappearing messages. If prompted, tap CONTINUE.
• Select ‘Off’.

Group Chat:
As a group admin, you can disable disappearing messages at any time by taking the following steps. ​​​​

• Open the WhatsApp group chat.
• Tap the group name.
• Tap Disappearing messages. If prompted, tap CONTINUE.
• Select ‘Off’.

The above steps work for both Android and iPhone users. 

Users Reactions.

The news by WhatsApp was met with various reactions from different users on social media platforms, especially Twitter. 

While some people made jokes about this feature coming at the wrong time;

If WhatsApp disappearing message feature was available last year.. I’ll still be in a relationship, Wrong timing — #ENDSARS (@lamiwale) November 6, 2020

Others felt the move was too extreme;

WhatsApp took ‘Nothing is permanent’ very seriously after adding new feature of disappearing message after 7 days. — Aaryan🥂 (@unoffensivebrat) November 5, 2020

And others felt the new addition is an unnecessary feature;

Lol can someone tell whatsapp that all we want is to be able to delete messages without having to notify the contact, and or /an unsend message option please? WTH is this talk about disappearing messages?? — melanated pulchritude. (@yushii_) November 5, 2020

So, is the WhatsApp disappearing messages feature a yay or nay for you, do let us know what you think in the comments section below.  ​