WhatsApp Ephemeral Messages: Disappearing Messages After 7 Days
Facebook recently revealed that WhatsApp has surpassed a significant landmark of 100 billion messages delivered each day, yet many individuals prefer not to have those conversations permanently stored. In response, Facebook’s widely used messaging application, boasting 2 billion users, is introducing a new capability designed to grant users greater command over the lifespan of their communications and media within the platform. Starting now, messages – encompassing both photos and videos – can be set to automatically vanish after a period of seven days.
The rollout of disappearing messages is occurring worldwide on both Android and iOS devices, WhatsApp announced. While an initial seven-day duration is being implemented, the company is already considering adjustments to these timeframes.
“We will closely monitor user feedback regarding the feature’s usage and reception, and evaluate any necessary modifications in the future,” a representative stated. “Currently, we are beginning with seven days, as it appears to strike an appropriate balance between the practicality required for global, text-based interactions and the desire for content that doesn’t remain indefinitely.”
It’s important to note that the seven-day timeframe will apply regardless of whether a message has been read. (The countdown for disappearing messages begins upon sending, mirroring the functionality found in other applications such as Telegram.)
“The current design aims to provide senders with the assurance that their message will be removed after seven days. The disappearance of messages is not dependent on whether they have been viewed, and will occur irrespective of the read status,” the representative explained.
Users have the option to activate this feature for individual chats, while in group conversations, administrators must enable disappearing messages for it to take effect.
Although today marks the “official” announcement, observant WhatsApp followers had previously noticed the company publishing FAQs about the feature several days ago. Testing of the functionality actually commenced – and, appropriately, concluded – as early as March of this year.
This is not WhatsApp’s initial foray into disappearing content.
In 2017, the company first explored this concept with the introduction of Status – an encrypted adaptation of Snapchat’s Stories feature, allowing users to share temporary updates, consisting of text and/or a GIF, as a form of “profile” visible to their contacts for a 24-hour period, housed in a dedicated tab separate from regular chats.
The popularity of the Status feature is currently unclear; we have requested data on its usage. However, anecdotal evidence suggests it is frequently used by younger demographics as a simplified alternative to updating status on Facebook or Snapchat, while older users engage with it less often.
WhatsApp explained that the extended development time for this ephemeral feature was partly due to the app’s encryption:
“[End-to-end encryption] contributed to the lengthy implementation process, as we were committed to preserving the e2e capabilities that WhatsApp users value and rely on,” the representative said.
However, its arrival has been long anticipated.
Ephemerality has proven to be a remarkably successful and enduring feature in messaging over the past decade. It has arguably been the defining characteristic of one of the most popular and viral messaging apps, Snapchat – leading to the adoption of similar features in numerous other applications, ranging from privacy-focused platforms like Signal and Telegram to more mainstream options like WhatsApp.
There may also be indications that Facebook intends to extend this functionality to other applications within its portfolio. Earlier this year, it tested disappearing messages in Instagram, which are now officially available. However, tests for disappearing text in Messenger appear to date back to 2015, although it does offer a “secret” messaging feature (introduced in 2016) that allows senders to control message duration. This, however, is not fully integrated into the core messaging experience.
The new disappearing messaging feature is being launched alongside other recent additions to the app, all aimed at providing users with increased control.
Earlier this week, WhatsApp announced a new storage feature: a more streamlined method for managing how and where photos and other media you receive are stored. This is particularly beneficial for active users who find their storage capacity consumed by GIFs, photos, and videos sent by contacts.
Simultaneously, the company is enhancing its services for businesses and exploring business models for charging them, as a means of upholding its commitment to avoid incorporating advertisements into the service. The recent acceleration in adding new features to the app is also noteworthy, considering Facebook’s previous periods of limited updates, which may have negatively impacted the app as it faced various controversies regarding misuse.
As with the storage changes, the new disappearing feature will not be automatically enabled for users; it requires proactive adjustment of settings.
