WHATSAPP is packed with brilliant features – but vanishing texts is one of the best.
If you haven’t learned how to use Disappearing Messages yet, it’s time to find out how it works.
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When we send texts to people, it might seem like a great idea in the moment.
But over the course of tens of thousands of texts, there will be some you may regret.
If you worry about certain texts lingering on another person’s phone, you need to learn about Disappearing Messages.
WhatsApp lets you unsend texts manually within certain time periods.
But WhatsApp also has a feature that will automatically delete texts after a set amount of time has passed.
The system isn’t fool-proof, of course.
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If someone screenshots or records your chat, there’s no way to remove that content from their phone using an official WhatsApp feature.
As always, the best way to keep embarrassing or regrettable content off the internet is to not post it in the first place.
But if you’re particularly worried, using Disappearing Messages is a great system to use.
Remember: only texts sent after you activate Disappearing Messages will be deleted. It won’t go back in time and scrub old missives for you.
Texts also won’t be deleted in other chats that they’ve been forwarded to.
And Disappearing Messages will still be stored in a recipient’s back-up – but will be deleted when that user restores from the back-up.
Message quoting may also cause text to remain in a chat, even though the original message has been deleted.
How to activate WhatsApp Disappearing Messages
Open your app on mobile and then go into Settings > Account > Privacy.
Look for Disappearing Messages and then set the toggle to the On position.
Then choose a time period for messages to disappear – 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days.
A message will appear in the chat confirming that Disappearing Messages has been turned on.
To enable it on an existing chat, you need to archive and then unarchive it first.
You can also enable Disappearing Messages on specific chats by tapping into the individual settings of a WhatsApp contact.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
