After the introduction of disappearing messages on WhatsApp, Facebook is ready to implement a similar feature on its Messenger platform. The new feature, as the name suggests, will make messages disappear once the recipient has read it in their chat and closed the window.
The company released a statement announcing the new feature and the intent behind it. The company claims that the feature has been integrated into the app to help the user “be in the moment and share with close friends and family without worrying about their chats sticking around.” In the statement, Facebook said that the feature is best suited for memes, GIFs, stickers or reactions that are great when you send them, but you may not want them to stay in your chat history.
To use this new feature, the user will need to swipe up on the phone in an existing chat thread, and then they will be in disappear mode. If the user swipes up again, they will return to normal chat. To provide instructions and to facilitate user understanding, the feature will be demonstrated within the app.
This new feature will initially launch in the US and a few other countries. The company also stated that it will be rolled out in EU countries soon. WhatsApp and Instagram have already started rolling out the feature. Facebook had announced the missing messages feature on WhatsApp last week.
In order for the user to send disappearing messages, both the sender and the receiver will need to activate the function. It will not work if either party has not chosen to participate. Similar to how Snapchat posts worked, the platform informs the sender if the receiver takes a screenshot of the message that was sent on Messenger.
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