WhatsApp’s disappearing messages no longer have to self-destruct if you don’t want them to.
Thanks to a new update, the app can save a private text before it times out, with the sender’s approval. However, if they don’t agree, then you’re out of luck.
As WhatsApp notes in a blog post, “the sender will have the ability to veto the decision”.
Launched in 2020, WhatsApp’s disappearing messages can be set to vanish after either 24 hours, seven days, or 90 days from the time they are sent. Users can choose to turn on the feature for all their chats by default or for specific chats.
As part of the change, the sender of a disappearing message will receive a notification when someone has kept their message. They will then be able to allow the decision or overrule it, with WhatsApp offering senders 30 days’ grace to change their minds.
If approved, a saved disappearing message will remain in the chat for everyone to view. It will also be stored in a separate folder, titled Kept Messages, for you to access whenever you want.
WhatsApp says it is making the update available globally over the next few weeks, so you may not have it straightaway. It currently does not appear to be live on iOS and Android in the UK. We’ve reached out to WhatsApp for more info on the rollout.
Though giving people the option to retain disappearing messages sounds contradictory, there are plenty of cases where it could be useful.
For example, it could save you having to repeatedly share the WiFi code with someone you trust. You may also want to hold on to a location someone has shared with you on a night out. Plus, it can save you the embarrassment that comes with screenshotting a disappearing message you want to save.
Just remember to keep a message before the timer runs out. Though that should prove easy enough now, WhatsApp is poised to add more granular duration settings to the feature. As a result, users could be able to set them to expire after just an hour.
How to save a disappearing message on WhatsApp
To use the new feature, all you have to do is hold down a disappearing message to highlight it in a chat.
Then, tap the bookmark icon at the top of the screen. This will prompt WhatsApp to send a notification to the sender of the disappearing message for approval.
To view your kept messages, tap or click on the chat info and select Kept messages.
To unkeep a message, tap the downward-pointing arrow icon on the message you want to unkeep, select unkeep, and then confirm by pressing ok.
