WHATSAPP has warned that its self-destructing messages can still be read even after deletion.
It means you should still be very careful about what you send – even if your message is set to destroy itself.
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WhatsApp recently added a feature that lets you send texts that vanish after a set amount of time.
It works a bit like Snapchat messages, boosting your privacy by killing off potentially sensitive messages.
When you enable disappearing messages, they vanish after seven days – though messages sent prior to changing settings won’t be affected.
But there are at least seven ways someone could capture your message before it’s deleted.
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First, the preview of the message could still be displayed in notifications until the WhatsApp app is opened.
Secondly, if your message is quoted, the quoted text could still remain in the chat.
Third, if a self-destructing text is forwarded to a chat with disappearing messages turned off, it won’t be deleted.
Fourth, if a user creates a back-up before a message disappears, then that message will be included in the backup.
However, the message will be deleted if the user restores their WhatsApp from the backup.
A recipient can also go out of their way to capture your messages.
Someone could forward or take a screenshot of your disappearing message before it’s deleted.
They could also copy and save content from the message before it vanishes.
And it’s also possible to take a photo of a message using a camera before it disappears.
WhatsApp – a quick history
Here’s what you need to know…
- WhatsApp was created in 2009 by computer programmers Brian Acton and Jan Koum – former employees of Yahoo
- It’s one of the most popular messaging services in the world
- Koum came up with the name WhatsApp because it sounded like “what’s up”
- After a number of tweaks the app was released with a messaging component in June 2009, with 250,000 active users
- It was originally free but switched to a paid service to avoid growing too fast. Then in 2016, it became free again for all users
- Facebook bought WhatsApp Inc in February 2014 for $19.3billion (£14.64bn)
- The app is particularly popular because all messages are encrypted during transit, shutting out snoopers
- As of 2020, WhatsApp has over 2billion users globally
There’s also an extra note about photos and videos that you need to consider.
“By default, media you receive in WhatsApp will be automatically downloaded to your photos,” said WhatsApp.
“If disappearing messages are turned on, media sent in the chat will disappear, but will be saved on the phone if auto-download is on.”
Thankfully, you can turn this feature off in WhatsApp Settings > Data and Storage Usage.
As always, the best advice is to consider whether a sensitive message is worth sending at all.
Once something is on the internet – or someone else’s device – it becomes extremely difficult to remove.
How to send disappearing messages
Here’s what to do:
- Open the WhatsApp chat
- Tap the contact’s name
- Tap Disappearing Messages
- If prompted, tap Continue
- Select On
You can disable it using the same method.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
