WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature causes messages in chats to automatically delete after a set period of time. While this can be useful for maintaining privacy, you may want to keep chat histories. Luckily, there are a few ways to stop WhatsApp chats from disappearing.
Understanding Disappearing Messages
WhatsApp’s disappearing messages, also called disappearing chats, are messages that are automatically deleted after a set duration. Once enabled for a chat, new messages sent in that chat will disappear after the chosen duration passes. The available durations are:
- 24 hours
- 7 days
- 90 days
For example, if you choose 24 hours, any new messages in that chat will be deleted 24 hours after they are sent. This happens automatically, so you don’t have to delete messages manually.
Disappearing messages can be turned on by either person in a one-on-one chat. In a group chat, any admin can enable it. Once enabled, it applies to all participants in that chat.
The main purposes of disappearing messages are:
- Increased privacy – Messages are automatically deleted so they can’t be accessed later.
- Reduced clutter – Older messages are regularly removed to keep your chats tidy.
However, you may want to keep chat histories available for future reference. Luckily there are ways to stop chats from disappearing.
Turning Off Disappearing Messages
If disappearing messages are enabled for a chat, you can turn them off at any time to stop messages from being deleted automatically.
To turn off disappearing messages:
- Open the WhatsApp chat where disappearing messages are enabled.
- Tap the contact’s name at the top to open chat info.
- Tap Disappearing messages.
- Select Off.
This immediately turns off disappearing messages. New messages in that chat will no longer automatically disappear. All previous messages will remain available within the chat.
Both you and the other participant(s) can turn disappearing messages off using the same steps. However, if one of you turns it off, the setting will be disabled for all participants.
Backing Up Messages Before They Disappear
If disappearing messages are already enabled for a chat, you may want to back up your message history before turning the feature off. That way you can retain a record of past conversations.
There are a couple options for backing up chats:
- Back Up to Google Drive – WhatsApp has a built-in chat backup option that saves your message history to Google Drive. You can enable it in WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. Backups happen daily when your phone is charging and connected to WiFi.
- Export Chat History – You can export an entire chat history to email or other apps as a text file. To do this, open the chat, tap More options > More > Export chat. You can then share the history file wherever you want.
Backing up chats preserves your message history before disappearing messages deletes them. You can refer back to these backups later if needed.
Preventing Specific Messages from Disappearing
If you only want to prevent certain important messages from disappearing, you can star or pin them:
- Star Messages – Starring a message exempts it from disappearing. Tap and hold a message, then choose Star. Starred messages will remain visible even after the set duration.
- Pin Messages – You can pin up to 3 messages to the top of a chat. Pinned messages don’t get deleted when disappearing messages is enabled. Tap and hold a message, then choose Pin.
Starring and pinning strategically lets you preserve specific messages indefinitely, even if the rest of the chat disappears over time.
Using Third-Party Apps to Save Chats
There are various third-party apps that can automatically save your WhatsApp chats outside of WhatsApp itself. Some options include:
| App | Platform | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| ChatBack | Android, iOS |
|
| WAMR | Android, iOS |
|
| Diskus | iOS |
|
These apps provide additional options for automatically saving copies of your chats outside of WhatsApp. This lets you retain chat histories even if the messages later disappear from WhatsApp itself.
Using WhatsApp on Multiple Devices
WhatsApp recently introduced the ability to use your account on multiple devices. This means you can have WhatsApp set up on up to 4 additional linked devices, such as another phone, tablet, or computer.
The advantage of this in relation to disappearing messages is that your chat history will still be available on your other linked devices. So even if messages disappear from your main phone after the set duration, you can still find them on your secondary devices.
To use WhatsApp on multiple devices:
- On your main device, open WhatsApp > Settings > Linked Devices.
- Tap Add Device and follow the instructions to link a secondary device.
- Scan the QR code from your secondary device to link it.
Once linked, conversations and chat histories will sync across devices. This provides an alternate place to access messages that have disappeared from your main device.
Conclusion
In summary, here are the main ways to stop WhatsApp chats from disappearing:
- Turn off disappearing messages in chat settings
- Back up chats before enabling disappearing messages
- Star or pin important messages to exempt them
- Use a third party app to auto-save chat histories
- Link WhatsApp to multiple devices to sync chat backups
Using one or more of these methods allows you to retain chat histories and stop WhatsApp messages from being permanently deleted. This ensures you can still refer back to old conversations when needed, even with disappearing messages enabled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover disappeared WhatsApp messages?
Unfortunately, once a WhatsApp message has disappeared due to the auto-delete feature, it cannot be recovered. The only way to effectively restore disappeared messages is if you had previously backed up your WhatsApp chats before they disappeared.
Do starred messages disappear on WhatsApp?
No, starring a message on WhatsApp exempts it from disappearing. Starred messages will remain visible indefinitely, even when disappearing messages are enabled in a chat.
Can I selectively turn off disappearing messages for certain chats?
No, disappearing messages is a chat-level setting in WhatsApp. You can’t have it enabled for some chats but disabled for others. It’s either on or off for all your chats.
Do WhatsApp media files disappear too?
Yes, any media sent in WhatsApp like photos, videos, voice messages, documents etc. will also disappear after the set duration when disappearing messages is enabled.
Can I tell if someone took a screenshot of my disappearing message?
WhatsApp does not notify you if someone takes a screenshot of your view-once messages. However, some third party disappearing message apps do have screenshot detection features.
More WhatsApp Tips
Pin Important Chats
Pin up to 3 chats to the top of your WhatsApp home screen for quick access. Tap and hold a chat, then choose Pin chat.
Mute Chats
Mute a chat instead of leaving or deleting if you just need a break from notifications. Long press the chat and select Mute.
Forward Messages Privately
When forwarding messages to multiple chats, you can choose to forward privately to avoid revealing the other recipients.
React to Messages
Swipe right on a message to quickly react with an emoji. Tap and hold to choose from all emojis.
Star Important Messages
Mark key messages with a star to easily find them later. Tap and hold a message, then choose Star.
Conclusion
WhatsApp’s disappearing messages can help keep your chats tidy and private. However, if you want to retain chat histories, make sure to back up chats, link devices, pin messages, and turn off disappearing messages when needed. With the right tricks, you can avoid losing your WhatsApp conversations.