Barely a year has passed since WhatsApp added the option for sent messages to disappear automatically. Now this feature has been expanded in a big way. WhatsApp allows us to predetermine the messages that disappear for all the new individual chats that we create and also select the duration in the chats that we already have in the application.
WhatsApp is continuously applying improvements and new functionalities to its service. It is no longer necessary to depend on the connection of our smartphone to be able to connect to the web version of the instant messaging service thanks to Multidevice WhatsApp. Now the new change is related to the durability of the messages we send, and we can decide how long these messages are available in a very simple way.
Delete messages in 1, 7 or 90 days
WhatsApp offers a lot of flexibility in terms of how long we want the messages we send to be available. Until now we could only configure the messages to disappear after 7 days, now, WhatsApp offers the possibility of deleting messages in 1, 7 or 90 days.
“WhatsApp users will now have the option to enable disappearing messages by default for all new chats. When enabled, all new one-to-one chats that you or someone else start will be set to disappear for the chosen duration, and we’ve added a new option when creating a group chat that allows you to turn it on for groups you create. This new function is optional and does not change or delete any of your existing chats ”, explains the company.
New functionalities that are welcome, since each user has a preference regarding this topic. For some, one day is enough, which makes conversations almost as fleeting as conversations we have in real time. However, for other users, keeping their conversation history for longer is essential to be able to go back and check messages when necessary.
How active
Enabling the new feature by default is pretty simple. Both on Android and iOS you have to follow the following steps:
- Settings> Account> Privacy> Default message timer
Once we get to this point, we will have to select how long we want our messages to last in conversations.
In this way, it must be taken into account that the new configuration only affects individual chats. For messages sent to groups, it will be up to the creator of the group to decide how long the messages will be available. On the other hand, keep in mind that this configuration only works for new conversations. It is necessary to activate it individually for existing chats as follows:
- Open the chat in WhatsApp
- Click on the contact’s name
- Access “Disappearing messages”
- Select 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days
“For people who choose to turn on the disappearing default messages, we will display a message in their chats that tells people that this is the default they have chosen. This makes it clear that it’s nothing personal – it’s a choice you’ve made about how you want to communicate with everyone on WhatsApp in the future. Although, of course, if you need a particular conversation to remain permanent, it’s easy to switch a conversation back, “WhatsApp adds.
This new function is already available, so from now on we can customize and decide how long we want the messages we send through WhatsApp to be available.
