WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature allows users to send messages that automatically get deleted after 7 days. Once enabled, any new messages sent in the chat will disappear after 7 days. This can be useful for keeping chats tidy and maintaining privacy.
What are disappearing messages?
Disappearing messages, also known as disappearing chats, are messages that are automatically deleted after a set period of time. Once enabled for a chat, any new messages sent in that chat will disappear after 7 days. The messages will be deleted for both you and the person you’re chatting with.
This feature provides more privacy and control over your WhatsApp chats. Any sensitive or temporary information can be sent with disappearing messages turned on, knowing that the messages won’t linger in your chat history forever.
How to enable disappearing messages
Enabling disappearing messages for a chat is easy to do in just a few steps:
- Open the WhatsApp chat where you want to enable disappearing messages.
- Tap on the contact’s name at the top of the screen to open their contact info.
- Tap “Disappearing messages”.
- Select “On” to enable disappearing messages.
Once enabled, any new messages sent in that chat will automatically disappear after 7 days. A message will display in the chat confirming that disappearing messages are turned on.
Things to know about disappearing messages
Here are some key points to understand about WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature:
- It’s optional – Users must manually enable disappearing messages for each chat where they want it turned on.
- The time limit is 7 days – Messages will automatically delete 7 days after being sent.
- It only applies to new messages – Once enabled for a chat, only new messages will disappear. Old messages in the chat will remain unless manually deleted.
- Both sides of the chat must have it enabled to work properly.
- Disappearing messages can be turned off at any time.
- Media will disappear – Photos, videos and other media sent with disappearing messages enabled will also get deleted after 7 days.
What happens when a disappearing message is opened?
When you send a disappearing message, the countdown doesn’t start until after the recipient opens the message. The message will remain visible for both parties for 7 days after it is first opened, and then it will be deleted.
For example, if you send a disappearing message on Monday, but the recipient doesn’t open it until Thursday, the message will disappear 7 days after it was opened on Thursday. It won’t automatically delete 7 days after you originally sent it.
This ensures that users have a full 7 days to see the message after they’ve opened it before it disappears.
Can recipients save disappearing messages?
Recipients can save disappearing messages before they get deleted if they want to keep a record of them. This can be done by:
- Taking a screenshot
- Copying and pasting the text
- Forwarding the message to another chat or contact
- Saving any media like photos or videos
So while disappearing messages provide more privacy, recipients can still save the messages if they choose to.
Will a notification display when a message disappears?
WhatsApp does not send any notification when a disappearing message gets automatically deleted after 7 days. The message will simply be removed from the chat thread.
However, if you have notifications enabled for the chat, when the other user responds you will be able to see that there is a break in the conversation thread where a message previously existed.
Can I retrieve a disappeared message?
Unfortunately, no. The whole point of WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature is that messages are permanently deleted after 7 days. There is no way to retrieve a message that has disappeared.
Even WhatsApp cannot retrieve the content of deleted messages. The messages are deleted from their servers after 30 days.
If you need to keep a record of the information in a disappearing message, you will need to save it manually before the 7 day deletion by taking a screenshot, copying the text, etc.
Troubleshooting disappearing messages
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you are having issues with disappearing messages on WhatsApp:
- Make sure disappearing messages are enabled for both you and the recipient in the chat. It needs to be turned on for both parties.
- Check that you’re on the latest version of WhatsApp. Disappearing messages is a relatively new feature and requires an updated app.
- Messages will only disappear for new messages sent after disappearing messages is enabled. Older messages won’t be affected.
- It can take up to 1 week for messages to disappear after the feature is first enabled, as the timer starts when they are sent.
- If messages aren’t disappearing, try toggling the feature off and then on again in the chat.
If issues continue, it could be a bug preventing the feature from working properly. Reporting the bug to WhatsApp can help them improve the feature.
Disadvantages of disappearing messages
While disappearing messages provide more privacy and security, there are some downsides to be aware of including:
- You lose a record of conversations which can make referencing back difficult.
- It’s easy to accidentally delete important information that you need to keep.
- Missing context from deleted messages can cause confusion.
- It takes extra steps to save important messages before they disappear.
- Recipients can still screenshot or copy messages before they’re deleted.
Who can use disappearing messages?
Disappearing messages are available for both individual and group chats in WhatsApp. The feature works across iOS, Android, and WhatsApp Web.
To enable disappearing messages, all users in the chat must be on the latest version of WhatsApp with support for the feature. If any users in a group chat have an outdated version, it will prevent disappearing messages from working properly.
Can I use disappearing messages on WhatsApp Business accounts?
Yes, WhatsApp Business account users can also enable disappearing messages if they want additional privacy and security for their business chats. This can be useful for discussing sensitive topics with customers that you don’t need a permanent record of.
Business users should keep in mind that enabling disappearing messages will automatically delete any important product, pricing or contact information sent via messages after 7 days. So it’s best used for temporary conversations.
Conclusion
Disappearing messages give WhatsApp users more control and privacy over their chats. By automatically deleting messages after 7 days, sensitive conversations don’t have to linger in chat history forever. Just keep in mind disappearing messages can also result in accidentally deleting useful information, so it’s best suited for temporary chats.