WhatsApp Disappearing Messages Now Allows Automatic Message Deletion After 24 Hours or 90 Days

Last Updated on December 7, 2021 by Anu Joy

WhatsApp will now offer you more control over your disappearing messages with the options of setting it to automatically delete after a duration of 24 hours or 90 days. Last year, the company had rolled out this feature with a single option—7 days. The Meta-owned company is also adding the option to turn on disappearing messages by default for all new chats.

Once you enable the Disappearing Messages option and set the duration, all new chats will be automatically deleted at the time you have set. WhatsApp has also added the same option to group chats. It is to be noted that enabling this feature will not affect your existing chats. You will still have to manually delete those chats to hide it from prying eyes.

WhatsApp had first introduced the Disappearing Messages feature last year. Once turned on, it would delete all messages from chats on both the phone as well as from the servers after a period of 7 days. The popular messaging app has now added two more options—24 hours and 90 days. After all, “not all messages need to stick around forever”, as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

You won’t have to worry if turning on this feature will offend your buddies. WhatsApp will let everyone know that this is the default option you have chosen. Moreover, all your messages aren’t doomed to disappear forever. You can keep your cherished messages with loved ones by switching chats back.    

You can easily turn on Disappearing Messages by first updating WhatsApp to the latest version. Then on your app, navigate to WhatsApp Settings > tap Account > Privacy > Default message timer. You can now select the duration after which you want your messages to disappear.

However, you should be aware that the “risky messages” that you send can always be screenshotted and saved. The Disappearing Messages feature will only ensure that the messages are deleted from your phone and the servers after the duration you set. Furthermore, if somebody forwards your chat to someone with disappearing messages off, the forwarded message won’t be deleted. So, you will still have to exercise caution about what you send via chat. But on the plus side, you won’t be able to re-read embarrassing texts that you had once sent. Unless, of course, your friends have already taken screenshots of it.