WhatsApp is testing the ability to write messages that self-destruct after a user-defined time. A feature reminiscent of Snapchat – but which is starting to be in the competition, especially on Telegram or in Gmail.
WhatsApp is testing a new possibility: sending messages that have an expiration date. The new feature appeared in version 2.19.275 of the Android application – but involves a server component, which still restricts access to certain users of the beta. WhatsApp already allows you to delete messages and other content after sending, for a limited time.
WhatsApp is adding self-destructing messages
In short, this new feature automates this task, for example when you transfer sensitive documents. Obviously, this novelty evokes the functioning of Snapchat – the rebel application that Facebook has never managed to buy.
We have already seen the group of Mark Zuckerberg which now gathers Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to deploy features evoking those of Snapchat, like the Stories, on its other applications. It seems that this time, Facebook catches up with competitors who deploy similar features.
For example, Gmail, which has added the ability to send self-destructing messages, or Telegram, which recently had similar functionality. For now, we told you, this feature is in test. You can try to make it appear by manually downloading the APK 2.19.275 APK via the link at the end of the article, but there is no guarantee that it will work.
As explained by our colleagues at WABetaInfo, at the origin of the discovery, it seems that these messages are also activated via a server component. And all those who install this version do not see it yet.