Updated disappearing messages feature coming to WhatsApp

WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature has been available for a few months now. The tool allows you to start chats that will delete your messages after a certain amount of time. This handy feature is reminiscent of the original unique selling point of Snapchat, which was famous for its temporary messages when it first became popular. It now looks like WhatsApp is developing the disappearing messages feature further.

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The current version of the disappearing messages feature allows you to set a default timer, which will start ticking every time you hit send. Then when that timer runs out, the message you sent will disappear. To activate the feature, you have to go into an individual chat and then go to the chat settings where you will find the option, complete with different timer options. This means that you can only activate disappearing messages on a per chat basis.

This latest update, spotted in the upcoming WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.11.11, includes a change to this feature that will make it easier to activate the feature on multiple chats rather than having to laboriously go through and activate it on chats one by one.

In the new beta version, the text “This does not affect your existing chats. Apply this message timer to existing chats by selecting them” appears. Users can tap on the by selecting them text to open up a list of multiple chats, which they can then set to have disappearing messages all at once. Once users have gone through this process, all the chats selected will have disappearing messages activated to the defined time period they have set.

As WhatsApp is still developing this feature, it is yet to roll out even to beta testers who are a part of the WhatsApp Beta Program. This means we have even less info about when or even if it will roll out to all WhatsApp users. There is clear utility here for this feature, though, so we imagine we’ll see it on all versions of WhatsApp one day. In the meantime why not check out our WhatsApp productivity guide to help you get more from the popular messaging app.

Image via: WABetaInfo