WhatsApp Update: Smarter WhatsApp Disappearing Mode Coming Soon

A WhatsApp feature that has been in the news recently is being set up for an update. WhatsApp's Disappearing Mode feature turns conversations into ephemeral chats that disappear after seven days of sending the message. Now, the Facebook-owned messaging platform is said to plan to make this feature smarter by giving WhatsApp users more control over when messages should disappear.

As of now, WhatsApp users get a simple disappearance mode feature in their group chats and individual chats. When users activate Disappearing mode, messages sent later disappear after seven days. And when the feature is disabled, all messages remain within the chat as the messages sent before enabling this feature. Now, WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp is working on a new and improved vanishing mode feature for individual chats.

A screenshot shared by the blog site shows that WhatsApp's new disappearing mode feature will give users a timer option after which messages will disappear once the feature is activated. "Default disappearing messages timer...When enabled, all messages in new individual chats will disappear after a selected duration. This will not affect your selected chats," says WhatsApp in the screenshot shared by the publication.

When implemented, WhatsApp will give users a total of four timer options to select from. After the seven-day timer, WhatsApp will also give users 24 hours and 90 days as options for their messages to automatically disappear. The fourth option is to disable the feature. "For example, if you select 24 hours, new chats will automatically have message mode enabled that disappears with that duration," explained the blog site.

As of now, this feature is being developed for individual chats on WhatsApp's iOS and Android-based apps. It is not known if WhatsApp plans to introduce similar functionality in group chats. That said, while WhatsApp's new and improved vanishing mode feature is not yet available to test on the company's Android or iOS-based beta apps, it is likely to roll out as an update soon. After the company has finished testing, the disappearing mode feature will be implemented in the main WhatsApp application.