WhatsApp working on self-destructing messaging feature: Here’s how it works

WhatsApp could introduce a new feature which would definitely make the app more interesting. With this new feature on WhatsApp messages will disappear from chats.

WhatsApp's 'Disappearing Messages' feature is currently being worked on for its Android app. This feature is now in alpha stage and is expected to release for public beta users soon. WhatsApp already allows users to permanently delete messages on the app. But this new feature will actually erase messages from the chat without having to manually delete it.

Here's how it works

This feature which is currently available for group chats only will be available as Disappearing Messages on the app. Once you turn this on you can set a schedule for messages to disappear after 5 seconds or 1 hour. So messages sent to the group chat will automatically disappear after the scheduled time.

Unlike 'Delete for Everyone', disappearing messages doesn't leave any trace on the chat. If you permanently delete a message on WhatsApp it leaves a note saying "This message has been deleted". But with the new feature, it will look like the message never existed.

WhatsApp's latest feature is one of the many it keeps testing on the app. There are more features like dark mode and hide status updates which are being tested in alpha. Not all features arrive on the stable version of WhatsApp and latest one may not be released too. But for those interested to use unreleased features can do so by joining WhatsApp's beta programme for Android and iOS.