Similar to the popular feature of Telegram, which has the ability to completely destroy messages after a fixed amount of time, Whatsapp too is planning on incorporating this feature on its platform. Prior to this, Whatsapp had introduced the ‘delete message for everyone’ option and it acted as a boon for its users. It enabled the user to delete accidentally sent messages within a stipulated time and this would undo the mishap.
WABetaInfo took to Twitter to announce its release of public Beta on Whatsapp exclusive to android users. Though the date has not been mentioned yet by them, we are looking forward to the enrollment of this feature soon.
Advantage:
The sheer advantage of this feature is an increase in safety. You can now securely send sensitive info on Whatsapp without the fear of them being leaked or misused in any way. This will encourage Whatsapp users to share more. Whatsapp already has more than 1.5 billion active users monthly.
The feature was tested in the group chat feature of Whatsapp. You have two timer options which are 5 seconds and one hour. Your messages will disappear automatically after the 5 seconds threshold or immediately after one hour as per your desire. You can set the timer before sending sensitive information on a group chat and you need not worry anymore of your messages being misused. There will be no trace of your messages after the stipulated time.
Other messaging platforms have similar features that enable the user to share personal and sensitive info.
Facebook’s Messenger has a ‘secret chat’ option that offers end-to-end encryption for both parties. This feature is present by default on Whatsapp.
Gmail offers a ‘confidential mode’ which enables the user to set an expiration date for the messages and the user can revoke access to his/her messages anytime, providing safety from unauthorized access to sensitive information.
By far Telegram has the most updated feature when it comes to security. Your messages are safe as long as your device is safe with you. Telegram does not even store messages in its server and restricts its users from forwarding or taking a screenshot of the messages making sure that there is no trace left after the deletion of the messages.
Now, Whatsapp has not clearly revealed all the functionalities of this self-destructing feature which is expected to be rolled out soon. It is yet to be seen how the users perceive this feature on Whatsapp.
