WhatsApp working on self destructing messages, but these apps already have it

WhatsApp’s latest feature it’s working on is self-destruct messages. While the feature may be new for WhatsApp it is already available on a number of apps.

WhatsApp self-destructing messages feature. (WhatsApp)

WhatsApp could get more interesting with a new feature it is currently working on. 'Disappearing Messages' as the name suggests self-destructs messages in chats. This feature is currently being tested in alpha stage of WhatsApp for Android.

WhatsApp's Disappearing Messages feature lets users keep a time interval of either 5 seconds of 1 hour. Messages will self destruct after the selected time has passed. Also, this feature is currently available in group chats only. There's already a lot of buzz around WhatsApp's possibility to introduce this feature but it has been around for quite some time now.

Here's a list of apps that already offer self-destructing messaging feature.

Telegram

It's no surprise that Telegram offers self-destructing messages considering the app's reputation of being very secure and private. This feature is available under 'Secret Chats' where users can send not only disappearing messages but photos, videos and even files.

Signal

Another popular private messaging app is Signal. In this app, users can choose different disappearing message intervals for different chats on the app. Signal also shows a timer icon below the disappearing message for both the sender and receiver.

Wickr

On Wickr messages, photos, videos, audio and video files disappear after a short time. Wickr's auto-destruct feature comes with two options - expiration and burn-on-read. Expiration will self-destruct messages after it is sent. As for burn-on-read, messages will self-destruct after it has been read by the receiver.

Bleep

Bleep's disappearing messages feature is available through 'whisper' mode. Using this feature messages will self-destruct 25 second after it is read by the receiver. Bleep also lets users start chatting on the app without having to create an account.

Snapchat

Snapchat is the OG app for self-destructing messages. There is no option to choose self-destructing messages on Snapchat as the app doesn't keep any history of chats. Snapchat automatically deletes 'Snaps' after it has been read by the recipient. As for unopened Snaps, they disappear 30 days after it has been sent.