Whatsapp has offered certain technical controls to its consumers. There are certain new features that allow you to control disappearing messages. You can either make disappearing messages a default or choose the specific time period in which the messages should disappear.

There are additional duration timings added by Whatsapp. It was introduced back in the year 2020 during the height of the pandemic. It would automatically delete the messages within seven days of being sent. 

If you opt for the default disappearing messages, it affects all the chats under your number. The messages sent in any chats will automatically disappear. Even if it’s a new contact or an existing contact, this feature would treat all the same. However, this does not affect the older chats. You are allowed to customize the duration within which the messages should automatically disappear as well. 

What are disappearing messages?

If you are not aware of what disappearing messages are, then this section is for you. It’s an optional feature that lets you expand your privacy if you choose to do so. So, when the feature is enabled, you can set your messages to disappear after a certain time frame like 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days after the message has been sent from your phone to someone or a group.

Please remember that your previous chat history will not be affected by this at all and only after enabling this feature your message will be part of the disappearing message list.

• Also, if a user doesn’t open the message or even Whatsapp during the time frame, the messages will still be disappeared from the chats. Sometimes, it can still be there in the Notifications preview until the WhatsApp app is opened. So, the messages will disappear in the chats section but still visible in the Notification section.
• Now, lets say you are replying to someone by quoting it and if the message is a disappearing message, the quoted message will still exist after the original message disappears.
• Also, if you forward a disappearing message to a new chat without disappearing message setting enabled, then that message won’t disappaer in the forwarded chat.
• If you back up your whatsapp messages which has disappearing messages, then your backup will have saved disappearing messages but when you restore them, they won’t be visible after the restoration.

Things to Remember

Even though this feature will vanish your messages, you need to remember a couple of things about this. I have listed them below.

• Always use disappearing messages with the people who trust.
• You can take a screenshot of the disappearing message or even forward it to a personal group before it disappears.
• You could also copy and save it somewhere before it disappears.
• You could even take a photo of the message with a camera or another device before the disappearing time runs out.

Even though this feature is good, it’s a good idea to take the necessary steps on your side to make sure your messages never get lost.

How to enable disappearing messages on Whatsapp?

1. In your android phone or iPhone, open the whatsapp.
2. In the whatsapp app, tap on the three dots at the top right corner as you can see here in the screenshot below.
3. A drop down menu appears. From the available options, click on the Settings option as you can see.
4. In the settings page, click on the Account option.
5. Then click on the Privacy option in the Account page. 
6. A new feature called Default message timer will appear at the bottom of the Privacy page. Select that particular option.
7. You can choose the duration required from the available options (24 hours, 7 days, 90 days) in this page. 
8. If you choose to disable this option, you can select the Off button available at the end.

As seen above, Whatsapp has added more durations in the Default message timer page. 

Then click on group info from the available options.

If you want to enable this option for individual groups, open that specific group and click on the three dots at the top right corner.

Click on Disappearing messages and repeat the above-discussed process as you can see below.

Thus Whatsapp has done a great job in providing more control over the aspect of the disappearing message. 

Ready to enable disappearing messages on Whatsapp?

This is how you can use disappearing messages in Whatsapp which works perfectly fine I have been using it for a while now and I have found it to be decently working.

Snapchat was the first internet platform to first introduce the concept of vanishing messaging if you remember. But then the concept of snapchat is that the messages disappear right after you read them. But when it comes to WhatsApp, we have a time frame and an option to choose after how much time the message disappears.