Khaleej Times

WhatsApp’s disappeari­ng messages tool finally shows up 7

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new delhi — WhatsApp on Thursday launched the much-awaited Disappeari­ng Messages on its platform for both Android and iOS users, which will automatica­lly delete new messages sent to a chat after seven days when turned on.

In a one-to-one chat, either person can turn disappeari­ng messages on or off. In groups, admins will have the control on the new feature.

“Our goal is to make conversati­ons on WhatsApp feel as close to in-person as possible, which means they shouldn’t have to stick around forever. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the option to use disappeari­ng messages on

WhatsApp,” the company said in a statement.

The Facebook- owned platform is starting with the seven-day limit “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”.

The feature will be rolling out to over two billion active users globally this month. Once enabled, new messages sent in the individual or group chat will disappear after seven days. The most recent selection controls all messages in the chat.

“This setting won’t affect messages you previously sent or received in the chat. In an individual chat, either user can turn disappeari­ng messages on or off. In a group chat, only group admins can turn disappeari­ng messages on or off,” it said.

If a user doesn’t open WhatsApp in the seven-day period, the message will disappear. However, the preview of the message might still be displayed in notificati­ons until WhatsApp is opened.

“When you reply to a message, the initial message is quoted. If you 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,” WhatsApp explained.

WhatsApp said that people should 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. —

Day time limit before messages go poof

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