
When turned on, this feature will automatically apply Disappearing Messages to all one-to-one chats that users start or are started with other users.

Today's other new change – having Disappearing Messages turned on for all their new chats – is optional and does not change or delete any existing chats. 'Today we are excited to provide our users with more options to control their messages and how long they stick around.' 'It's become the equivalent of a note taker following us around making a permanent record of everything we've said. 'We've become accustomed to leaving a digital copy of just about everything we type without even thinking about it. 'Deciding how long a message lasts should be in your hands,' it says. They start rolling out globally for WhatsApp users from today. WhatsApp outlined the changes in a blog post. However, one child safety expert has criticised giving users the ability to make messages disappear after just 24 hours, saying it would create a 'toxic cocktail of risk' for vulnerable children. Storing all conversations forever is 'the equivalent of a note taker following us around making a permanent record of everything we've said,' WhatsApp claims.Īlso as of today, WhatsApp has given users the ability to have Disappearing Messages turned on for all their new chats. Generally, WhatsApp wants to emulate the security of face-to-face conversations and give users the knowledge that their messages aren't being stored online. For example, they may contain sensitive information they don't want accessible anywhere – not even on WhatsApp, which is end-to-end encrypted.


People might want to choose to delete their messages for a personal reason. Turning on the Disappearing Messages feature makes all new messages disappear from a chosen chat after the user's specified period of time. The Meta-owned messaging app has extended options for its disappearing messages feature, which was rolled out late last year.Īs well as being able to make messages disappear after seven days, users now have two extra options for how long the deletion period is – 24 hours and 90 days.

WhatsApp users can now choose to make their messages disappear after a variety of time periods thanks to a controversial new update.
