WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the key features of WhatsApp is the ability to send messages, photos, videos and files that delete themselves after a set period of time. This self-destructing message feature provides an extra layer of privacy and security for WhatsApp users. But exactly how long do WhatsApp messages remain on the app before they are deleted forever? The answer depends on the delete message settings chosen by the user.
What are WhatsApp’s self-destructing messages?
WhatsApp’s self-destructing or disappearing messages feature allows users to send messages that will be automatically deleted after a set amount of time. Once enabled, any new messages the user sends will disappear after the chosen duration. The recipient will see the message on their phone, but once the deletion time is up, the message will be removed from the chat window on both devices.
This gives a greater level of control over privacy, as sensitive information does not remain in the chat history permanently. It also helps to keep chat histories clean and organized by automatically removing irrelevant or old messages.
Default delete durations
WhatsApp provides two default durations for enabling disappearing messages:
| Duration | Description |
|---|---|
| 7 days | Messages will be deleted after 7 days |
| 24 hours | Messages will be deleted after 24 hours |
So if the user does not manually customize the duration, messages will be deleted after either 168 hours (7 days) or 24 hours by default.
Customizing the delete duration
While WhatsApp provides the two default options, users can also set a custom deletion duration. The custom duration can be anywhere between 24 hours and 90 days. Here are the steps to customize the delete duration:
1. Open the WhatsApp chat
2. Tap on the contact’s name to open chat settings
3. Select ‘Disappearing messages’
4. Tap on ‘Custom’
5. Select the desired duration – anywhere from 24 hours to 90 days
Once enabled, all new messages sent in the chat will be deleted after the chosen custom duration.
Important points about message deletion
Here are some key points to note about WhatsApp’s disappearing messages:
– The duration is always counted from the time the message is sent, not when it is read
– Deleting the message from just your device does not affect the recipient’s message. It will still delete from their device after the set duration
– If auto-download is disabled for media, the message content remains on WhatsApp’s servers until the deletion timeframe passes
– Quoted messages also get deleted when the original message disappears
– If a user creates a backup before the message disappears, it may still be included in the backup
– Messages will not disappear if the chat is muted
– Disappearing messages can still be forwarded to other chats before the deletion timeframe is up
How long messages remain after sending
Based on WhatsApp’s settings for default and custom delete durations, here is an overview of how long messages will remain before being deleted:
| Delete Setting | Time Messages Remain |
|---|---|
| Default – 24 hours | 24 hours after sending |
| Default – 7 days | 7 days after sending |
| Custom – 24 hours | 24 hours after sending |
| Custom – 2 days | 2 days after sending |
| Custom – 3 days | 3 days after sending |
| Custom – 1 week | 7 days after sending |
| Custom – 90 days (max) | 90 days after sending |
As we can see, the maximum time a disappearing message remains on WhatsApp before being deleted is 90 days, if the user selects the maximum custom duration.
Media and files
The disappearing messages feature not only applies to chat texts, but also to photos, videos, GIFs, voice messages, documents and any other files shared on WhatsApp. The same deletion duration will apply to all message types.
For example, if the 7 day default setting is enabled, any photos, videos, files and voice notes sent will also be deleted in exactly 7 days.
However, if auto-download is disabled for media content, the actual media can remain stored on WhatsApp’s servers for up to 30 days before final deletion, even if the message listing disappears from the chat.
Can the deletion time be increased after sending?
A key question is – once a disappearing message has been sent, can the deletion timeframe be increased or disabled?
Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not provide an option to reverse or disable disappearing messages after they have been sent. The duration can only be changed for new messages in the chat.
So if a message was sent with a 24 hour deletion period, it cannot be extended to 7 days later on. WhatsApp will delete the message exactly 24 hours after it was sent, regardless of any settings changed afterward.
Preventing message deletion
Since disappearing messages get permanently deleted and vanish forever, is there any way to prevent them from getting deleted?
There are a couple of workarounds:
– Take a screenshot before the message deletes. The screenshot will preserve the message exactly as it appeared.
– Turn on chat backups to cloud before the message expires. Backups include the disappearing messages, so they can be preserved via backups.
– Forward or copy-paste the message content to another chat or app before the deletion timeframe is up.
– Save photos, videos or files before they are deleted. Media content can be saved to the phone’s storage.
However, there is no native WhatsApp feature to directly disable or revert the deletion after sending a disappearing message. The only option is using the workarounds above.
Conclusion
WhatsApp’s disappearing messages provide a great way to enhance privacy by having conversations that don’t permanently stick around. By default, messages delete after 24 hours or 7 days depending on the setting. Users can also customize the duration to any value between 24 hours and 90 days.
The countdown always starts from the time the message is sent, so the maximum any message will remain is 90 days if that custom duration is chosen. For media content, the files may remain on WhatsApp’s servers for up to 30 days after disappearing from the chat. But there is no way to directly undo deletion after sending a disappearing message – users have to resort to workarounds like taking screenshots or backups. Understanding WhatsApp’s disappearing message settings and behavior allows users to have better control over their messaging privacy.