Hot on the heels of its new storage management tool, WhatsApp is poised to release another anticipated new feature that will see it edge into the territory once dominated by Snapchat.
Later this month, WhatsApp users will be able to configure chats with contacts and groups to specify whether they’d prefer their messages to automatically delete after a certain period.
The feature, which won’t work retroactively (and will only apply to messages going forward after the feature appears in a future update) allows users to set an expiry on all of their messages and media. WhatsApp has confirmed that, at first, the option will be limited to set messages to expire after 7 days.
One-to-one participants will be able to set their own preference, and group admins will be able to specify similar policies for conversations. Naturally, participants could simply take screenshots or copy and paste messages before they’re deleted, meaning that the feature isn’t fully bulletproof.
WhatsApp itself has positioned the feature as a convenience, rather than a privacy solution. In a statement to The Verge, a WhatsApp spokesperson confirmed that “We’re starting with 7 days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about… The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don’t.”
While WhatsApp chat files are usually minute in size, the feature should afford some flexibility to those of us who are running shy on storage space.
What are your thoughts? Would you plan to use disappearing messages on WhatsApp? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
