How to Activate Disappearing Messages on WhatsApp

18 November, 2020 — James Brandon

Have you ever sent a WhatsApp message or messages that you have to delete after some time due to privacy concerns? Well, if you have, you know that the deleting process might be tiring especially if you have many messages to delete.

To help with the problem, just like with other messaging features that have been included in the app in the past, WhatsApp developers have been working on a new messaging feature that lets WhatsApp users send temporary messages that will disappear automatically after some time.

The new “disappearing messages” feature has already been launched officially and will be available to all WhatsApp users in due course. WhatsApp released the new feature to make conversations within the app feel as close to in-person as possible; meaning they don’t have to be displayed forever. The new feature supplements the existing WhatsApp privacy features.

When the “Disappearing messages” feature has been enabled, new messages within a chat will automatically disappear after seven days. The new feature is available for individual as well as group chats. However, in group chats, the group admins are the only ones allowed to enable the disappearing messages.

To enable the WhatsApp disappearing messages feature:

• Launch WhatsApp by tapping on its icon

• On the CHATS tab, tap the contact name that you wish to enable the feature

• On the conversation page, tap the contact’s name again at the top of the screen

• On the options page that appears, tap the “Disappearing messages” option

• On the next page that appears, Tap the On button

• The disappearing messages feature will be turned on.

Points to Note:

• Once activated, the new disappearing messages feature will not affect previous messages that were sent or received.

• The disappearing messages feature will automatically delete the messages for both parties after seven days.

• The disappearing messages feature will also wipe out photos and videos after seven days.

• If a WhatsApp message is not opened within the seven days, it will still disappear. However, the preview of the message might be viewed from the notifications until WhatsApp is opened.