Whatsapp Announces New Features Give Users More Power to Control their Messages Even More
- Popular messaging app, WhatsApp has announced a new feature as users now have more control what, when is sent out
- Although there are limitations, users of the chat app can now have the option to delete their messages after 24 hours or 90 days
- Data shows Whatsapp has over 2 billion users worldwide and remains one of the popular social media platform in Nigeria
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Popular instant messaging service, WhatsApp has added several new features that give users new experience but also more control over their messages.
The new options will allow people to turn on disappearing messages for all their chats at once, meaning that no conversations will stick around any longer than they need to
Users can also choose from a variety of options for how long messages should last. Previously, they were limited to seven days – but that can now be set at 24 hours or 90 days, after which the conversations will be destroyed.
Source: Facebook
According to Yahoo finance when this option is activated, any new one-on-one conversations that you or another person initiate will be scheduled to disappear after the period of time you choose.
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When creating a group conversation, WhatsApp has also included a new option that allows you to turn it on for the groups you create.
This new feature is optional, and it has no effect on any of your current chats.
What WhatsApp is saying
According to WhatsApp in a blog post noted that its mission is to connect the world privately.
It wrote:
"As more of our conversations move from face-to-face to digital, we acknowledge there is a certain magic in just sitting down with someone in-person, sharing your thoughts in confidence, knowing you are both connecting in private and in that moment."
The freedom to be honest and vulnerable, knowing that conversation isn’t being recorded and stored somewhere forever.
Deciding how long a message lasts should be in your hands. We’ve become accustomed to leaving a digital copy of just about everything we type without even thinking about it.
It’s become the equivalent of a note-taker following us around making a permanent record of everything we’ve said.
This is why we introduced disappearing messages last year, and more recently a way for photos and videos to immediately disappear after being viewed once.”
Whatsapp also added that living apart from family and friends for over a year has made it clearer than ever that just because we can’t physically talk in person, it doesn’t mean one has to sacrifice the privacy of personal conversations.
"We believe disappearing messages along with end-to-end encryption are two crucial features that define what it means to be a private messaging service today and bring us one step closer to the feeling of an in-personal conversation.”
How to get started
Whatsapp also in the blogpost advised users looking at trying the feature to get started on disappearing messages, then Privacy settings and select ‘Default Message Timer’.
For people who choose to switch on default disappearing messages, WhatsApp will display a message in your chats that tells people this is the default you’ve chosen.
The company added:
“This makes clear it’s nothing personal – it’s a choice you’ve made about how you want to communicate with everyone on WhatsApp moving forward. Though of course, if you need a particular conversation to remain permanent, it’s easy to switch a chat back."
Two ways to read WhatsApp messages without letting senders know
In a previous piece, Legit.ng explained how WhatsApp users can read chats without letting senders know they have probably because they are busy and are not ready to reply.
This can be achieved by disabling the “Read Receipts” feature. It is, however, important to note that this won't disable the read receipts for group chats or play receipts for voice messages.
According to WhatsApp, there's no way to turn those settings off. The second option is to read directly from the notification drawer.
Source: Legit.ng
