Popular messaging service WhatsApp is working on a disappearing messages feature, which will allow users to set messages to auto-delete in a set time.
According to the WhatsApp BetaInfo blog, the feature makes all messages in a chat disappear within either five seconds or one hour of being sent.
To turn on the feature, users have to go to the specific chat’s settings, turn on disappearing messages, then set the timer.
“After enabling this option, any message will be automatically removed and there will be no tracks available in the chat about deleted messages,” explains BetaInfo.
According to screenshots by it, the feature appears to be tested only for group chats, though it may be expanded to private chats too.
This feature is similar to Telegram’s self destructing messages feature, which auto-deletes a message after a set amount of time.
However, that feature is only available when a user creates a Secret Chat with another user, and cannot be suddenly turned on in an existing normal chat.
BetaInfo says the feature is still under alpha stage development and is not yet available even for WhatsApp beta users.
It did not give a release timeline, though it suggested that the feature could be rolled out to beta users in the next update.
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