WhatsApp updates have given us a few new features this year, including better Google Assistant support and fingerprint authentication. Whatsapp is now working on disappearing messages which is a Snapchat inspired feature.
This feature according to WABetaInfo will be available for group chats but private chats might be getting it later as well.
The screenshots suggest that WhatsApp’s disappearing messages functionality takes an all-or-nothing approach. That is, either all messages in the chat disappear or none of them. In other words, it doesn’t seem like you can send just one disappearing message to someone.
The user can mark the chat as “disappeared” enabling the option “Disappearing messages”, in Group Info (when the feature will be available for everyone)
Users can set the expiration time for these messages, with choices being either five seconds or an hour. More options in between these two times would be welcomed though.
Snapchat also alerts users when a recipient has taken a screenshot of a Snap, but we don’t know if the WhatsApp team is working on similar functionality.
There’s no word on when we can expect disappearing messages in WhatsApp as the feature is in an alpha stage of development. This means that WhatsApp is just starting to work on it, and no ETA is available to know when the feature will be available for everyone. Just buckle up and wait for it.
Also Read: Some Key Changes Are Coming to WhatsApp