WhatsApp has published an FAQ about its upcoming disappearing messages feature. As the name indicates, the feature will allow users to send messages that will automatically disappear after seven days.
Users will have the option to send disappearing messages in both individual chats as well as group chats. The feature will not affect messages that you have sent or previously received. WhatsApp will even offer users an option to turn off disappearing messages in individual chats. In a group chat, the admins will have the power to enable/disable disappearing messages. If a disappearing message is forwarded to another chat, it will disappear from there as well provided the disappearing messages option is enabled. Otherwise, the message will not disappear after seven days.
WhatsApp also notes that any media sent as a disappearing message will disappear from the chat but if auto-download is on, the media will be saved in the phone’s internal storage. A disappearing message will automatically disappear after seven days even if the recipient has not read the message. WhatsApp does note that if there’s a quoted reply to the disappearing message, the quoted text might remain in the chat after seven days.
