WhatsApp says it is providing users with more options to control their messages

Messaging giant WhatsApp said on Monday it is providing users with more options to control their messages and how long they stick around, with default disappearing messages and multiple durations.

The company said its mission is to connect the world privately and as more of the conversations move from face-to-face to digital, it acknowledges there is a certain 'magic' in just sitting down with someone in-person, sharing thoughts in confidence, knowing they are both connecting in private and in that moment.

"The freedom to be honest and vulnerable, knowing that conversation isn’t being recorded and stored somewhere forever. Deciding how long a message lasts should be in your hands," the company said in a statement.


WhatsApp users will now have the option to turn on disappearing messages by default for all new chats. When enabled, all new one-on-one chats users start will be set to disappear at their chosen duration, and the company has added a new option when creating a group chat that lets them turn it on for groups they create. This new feature is optional and does not change or delete any of the existing chats of users.

WhatsApp is also adding two new durations for disappearing messages: 24 hours and 90 days, as well as the existing option of 7 days.

For people who choose to switch on default disappearing messages, the platform will display a message in their chats that tells people this is the default they have chosen.

"This makes clear it's nothing personal - it's a choice you've made about how you want to communicate with everyone on WhatsApp moving forward. Though of course, if you need a particular conversation to remain permanent, it’s easy to switch a chat back," WhatsApp said in a statement.

The company said living apart from family and friends for over a year has made it clearer than ever that just because users can’t physically talk in person, it doesn’t mean they should have to sacrifice the privacy of personal conversations. It stated that it believes disappearing messages along with end-to-end encryption are two crucial features that define what it means to be a private messaging service and bring it one step closer to the feeling of an in-personal conversation.