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Whatsapp has been added with a new disappearing message feature.
On Thursday, Facebook-owned WhatsApp disclosed this, according to AFP.
The messaging service used by more than two billion people worldwide said it would allow individuals to choose whether to retain their messages after seven days or allow them to erase themselves.
WhatsApp messages today always live forever on our screens. Although keeping on to memories from friends and family is wonderful, much of what we send doesn't need to be eternal,' said a WhatsApp blog post.
Our mission is to make WhatsApp conversations feel as close as possible to each other, which means they shouldn't have to hang around forever. That's why we're excited to add the option to use disappearing messages on WhatsApp.
Facebook previously launched a similar alternative for its Messenger app, following on the heels of Snapchat, which has accrued a large following among young smartphone users.
WhatsApp chose a seven-day window “because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about,” the blog post said.
“The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don’t.”
The move comes with Facebook’s core social network losing ground to younger audiences to rivals like Snapchat and TikTok, even as Facebook-owned Instagram continues to grow in that demographic group.
A Piper Jaffay survey of US teens last month showed Snapchat is their favourite social media platform, and that TikTok overtook Instagram for second place.
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