A few weeks ago, WhatsApp announced a new temporary message feature. It now puts WhatsApp on par with other temporary messaging applications such as Telegram and Snapchat.

However, it is a very basic implementation. Once activated, your messages in WhatsApp will self-destruct within 7 days. Yes, WhatsApp starts its ephemeral test with a 7 day window. All of your messages will remain in the chat window for 7 days and will then be automatically deleted.

If you want messages to disappear momentarily after they are sent, you should stick to Snapchat or Telegram. Otherwise, here are the steps to enable or disable the temporary message feature in WhatsApp.

Enable/Disable Temporary Messages in WhatsApp

Note: I tested the temporary message feature on WhatsApp version 2.20.205.16 on my Pixel 5, under Android 11.

1. Open WhatsApp and enter a conversation that you would like to have temporary messages for after 7 days.

2. Tap on the contact's profile picture and scroll down to see a new "Temporary Messages" option. It is located just above the encryption option.

3. By clicking on "Temporary Messages" you can choose to enable or disable this setting. Select "Enabled" if you want the messages to disappear automatically after 7 days.

4. Once activated, you and the recipient will see a "You have enabled temporary messages" notification in the chat window.

5. This feature is not limited to individual chats. You can also enable it for group chats, but you must be the administrator to enable it.

Some limitations

In addition, the profile picture will include a timer icon to indicate that the feature is enabled. WhatsApp currently offers a unique 7-day option to automatically delete messages. Based on leakage, the messaging application can be expected to offer more granular controls over the next few months. We have seen leaks limited to 5 seconds before the official beta release.

The message disappearance feature in WhatsApp has many limitations. It lacks the most basic privacy features required for an ephemeral service. You can read all about them on the company's support page. I suggest that you only use this feature with trusted people as anyone could record your messages and capture them on screen even if the temporary message feature is enabled.

Source: blog-news technologies