WhatsApp may soon allow users to save disappearing messages, according to online reports. The Meta-owned instant messaging platform is said to be working on a feature called “kept messages” that will let anybody save an ephemeral disappearing chat temporarily and keep it as is (for everyone), even if the said message has expired. A “kept message” will apparently have its own visual indicator to distinguish it from other chats.
In Short
- WhatsApp is testing the ability to save disappearing messages.
- WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature lets users send messages that only remain on the chat window for a specific period of time
- WhatsApp is currently developing the ability to keep disappearing messages for a future update of the app. It is not known when the feature will be released to users.
Users may soon be able to save disappearing messages
WhatsApp introduced disappearing messages in August 2021. Messages sent as disappearing messages get automatically deleted after a specific time period as chosen by the sender.
But, the platform is now working to give users more control over these disappearing messages. With the kept message feature, messages will not be automatically deleted from the chat and everyone in the conversation can still see them. Instead, users will have control over the conversation and can choose to “un-keep” the message at any time, and it will disappear from the chat forever, the WaBetaInfo report says.
It says that WhatsApp will add a bookmark icon in the message bubble of disappearing messages to identify a kept message in WhatsApp. The icon will indicate that the disappearing message has been ‘kept’ and will be saved even if the disappearing messages feature is turned on.
“This icon acts as a visual indicator that a disappearing message has been ‘saved’ and will not disappear from the chat even if the disappearing message feature is enabled and the message has already expired. is not. This feature allows users to easily distinguish between saved messages and normal disappearing messages within a chat. Please note that all interlocutors can delete these messages at any time,” the website noted.
The site reports that WhatsApp is currently developing a feature to keep disappeared messages for future updates of the app. It’s unclear when this feature will be released to users.
Similarly, WhatsApp has officially launched the ability to access messaging apps if the internet shuts down. WhatsApp has introduced proxy servers that allow WhatsApp users to access their messaging apps. The new service is especially useful in countries and cities where the internet is often cut off. The internet has now been completely cut off for months due to ongoing protests against the hijab.
Also, read | WhatsApp working on the ‘Report status update’ feature on the Android beta
