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.
Disappearing messages, to give you some context, are messages that users can choose to send to someone with a pre-set time limit beyond which they get deleted automatically. WABetaInfo, a WhatsApp feature and update tracker website, has –now—spotted another feature update that can potentially give more control to users over these disappearing messages. The so-called kept messages will not be automatically deleted from the chat and remain visible for all even after they have reached expiration. Though you can choose to un-keep them at any time, if you want, and the chats will then disappear for everyone. Kept messages will reportedly have their own “bookmark” icon to set them apart from other chats.
As for general availability, that’s still a mystery as the report is quick to note that the feature is “currently in development and is not yet ready for release to beta testers”, adding that “WhatsApp is working on bringing this feature to a future update of the app.”
WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature, which was launched in 2021, takes inspiration from apps like Snapchat and gives users a way to chat more privately. The instant messaging app also lets users delete messages after they’re sent to someone. So far, users have had the choice to set who these messages can be deleted for— for themselves specifically (delete for me) or for everyone (delete for everyone). Accidental delete was added recently to edit this if a user mistakenly hit delete for me when they intended to delete the chat for everyone.
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