According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has now renamed this feature to “Expiring Messages”, changing it from the “Delete Messages” and “Disappearing Messages” labels used in previous updates.
In the latest beta update for WhatsApp on Android, the Expiring Messages feature is available through the settings menu for each chat and group. For individual chats, either participant will be able to enable or disable the functionality, while the ability to enable Expiring Messages for groups will be limited to administrators.
The report stated that when Expiring Messages is enabled for a specific chat, WhatsApp will indicate this via a clock icon on the profile picture in the user’s chat list. This indicator will also be shown on the profile picture within the chat itself.
How the feature will work is when a user enables Expiring Messages for a chat, all messages sent by participants will be removed after a fixed interval. Users will be able to toggle this setting on or off for each chat via the contact info and group settings respectively. Expiring Messages allows users to select one of the following time delays until messages are automatically deleted from chats:
- - Off
- - 1 hour
- - 1 day
- - 1 week
- - 1 month
- - 1 year
So far, the functionality has only appeared in the beta version of the Android application, and it is unclear whether WhatsApp is also testing this feature for its iOS app.
WhatsApp’s Expiring Messages is still under development and currently has no official launch date. WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp is also working on a feature that will allow users to use the same account across multiple devices simultaneously.
This will allow WhatsApp user to log in with the same account on their tablet and smartphone, running the same account on both apps.
