Updated: November 6, 2020 10:36:04 am
Disappearing messages, as the name suggests, are messages that will automatically disappear or be removed from a chat after a while.
The ‘ephemeral messaging’ has reached WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned messaging app has officially announced a new feature, ‘Disappearing Messages,’ on the platform, which will begin rolling out to all users globally this month. So what exactly are ‘disappearing messages’ and why is WhatsApp introducing this feature in the app? We explain below:
What are disappearing messages?
Disappearing messages, as the name suggests, are messages that will automatically disappear or be removed from a chat after a while. The idea of ’ephemeral’ messages is not new and WhatsApp is not the first application to offer this. Other encrypted messaging applications such as Telegram, Signal, Wire already offer that option.
So why does WhatsApp introduce this feature?
WhatsApp says this will bring a new level of privacy to the app. In a blog post, the company said: “When conversations are not permanent, people can talk more freely and feel more comfortable being themselves, either on their crazy side or by being more honest about their feelings. This is a huge step for WhatsApp as we introduce the ephemeral to many people for the first time and help them experience a new level of privacy. “
WhatsApp messages are already end-to-end encrypted, which means that no third party or even WhatsApp can access and read these messages. 📣 Express Explained is now on Telegram
How will disappearing messages work?
WhatsApp says that the disappearing message setting will also work for individual chats and group chats. WhatsApp says that once a user activates the settings, messages in a chat or group will automatically disappear after seven days.
In group chats, administrators will be the ones who control the option of disappearing messages. Users will also have the option to disable settings if they change their mind.
If Disappearing Messages are enabled, multimedia files such as images or videos sent in chat will disappear But they will be saved on the phone if the automatic download option is enabled.
How is the missing messages feature different from WhatsApp?
There is a difference in how disappearing messages will work on WhatsApp compared to other messaging apps. Applications like Telegram, Wire, Signal generally offer an option where users can set a preferred time for their messages to disappear; This can vary from a few seconds to a day and even a week.
On Telegram, one has the option to start a secret chat, where they can set a time limit after which the messages disappear. The timer can be set from one second to one week. Wire offers options ranging from 10 seconds to four weeks for messages to disappear. Signal allows users to trigger disappearing messages for each chat individually and can set a time limit from five seconds to a week.
WhatsApp is not giving this type of customization, it has decided the time limit of all users, which is set at seven days.
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Is there a way that a disappearing chat can still be saved on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature has some loopholes. For example, if you decide to activate this feature and the other user does not open WhatsApp during the seven day period, while the message might disappear, the other user could still see a preview of it in their notifications tab.
WhatsApp also says that if a user replies to a message where the initial text is quoted, this text will remain in the chat after the seven-day period. Also, if someone forwards a message to another user, who does not have the disappearing messages feature enabled, the message will not be deleted from there.
If a message is backed up to the cloud before it disappears, it will be backed up. However, when a user restores the backup, that message will be deleted. As always, someone could take a screenshot of the message or forward it to someone else before it disappears.
What does the new feature mean for users and for WhatsApp?
For WhatsApp users, this is a much needed feature and it will certainly enhance privacy. By activating disappearing messages, users will gain more control over the chats that are saved. Of course, as already noted, nothing on the internet is really erased thanks to screenshots.
For WhatsApp, meanwhile, it will raise some new and tricky questions given that the app is already under pressure from authorities in several countries, including India, for tracking messages. WhatsApp has already said that it cannot allow message tracking given the end-to-end encryption feature and that it does not store messages or any kind of user data on its servers. With messages disappearing, authorities could face a new set of problems when it comes to retrieving WhatsApp messages, further exacerbating the conflict.
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