How to Make All Your WhatsApp Messages Disappear Automatically
WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature has been very limited so far – once enabled for a specific conversation or group, all messages will be automatically deleted after seven days, but without the option for additional customization or default setting for all chats.
There are now two new improvements to Meta that round out the disappearing messages feature. First, you can now choose a 24-hour or 90-day period for deleting messages. And more importantly, you can enable disappearing messages for all future conversations with a single switch. This is how both of these functions work.
How to automatically delete all new messages on WhatsApp
WhatsApp now lets you set a default message timer for all new messages. Open WhatsApp after updating to the latest version and go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Default Message Timer .
Here select the time interval ” 24 hours “, ” 7 days ” or ” 90 days “. After switching on, all new messages will start to disappear after the set time (for both sides). This setting will not affect existing messages.
We would like to point out that disappearing messages are a good security feature, but not a privacy feature. During this 24-hour period, the messages you send and receive will continue to be available. And during this time, someone can take a screenshot or forward a message. If you want to send confidential photos, you’d better use the ” View once” feature . We’ve also covered other hidden WhatsApp features in our dedicated guide .
This feature only applies to one-on-one chat. When you create a new group, WhatsApp will ask you if you want to enable this feature for a specific group.
How to change the time period for messages to disappear for WhatsApp conversations
If you don’t want to enable the disappearing messages feature for all chats, you can still use them for specific conversations or group chats. Open a conversation, select a name at the top and go to the ” Disappearing messages ” section.
In the Message Timer section, you can choose the appropriate time period (here you will see the new 24-hour and 90-day options). All new messages will now be deleted after the specified time.