WhatsApp has introduced a new feature which automatically deletes messages seven days after they are sent.
The update is being rolled out globally across Android and iOS devices starting from today. While it is initially starting with a one week lifespan, WhatsApp is already looking at offering different time limits.
A spokesperson told TechCrunch: “We will keep an eye on feedback about how people are using it and liking it and see if it needs adjusting in the future.
“For now we are starting with seven days, because it feels like a nice balance between the utility you need for global text based conversations and the feeling of things not sticking around forever.”
Users can opt-in to have their past messages deleted in order to make their conversations threads feel lighter, more concise and secure. It will also work with media files to prevent storage from being clogged up.
Admin members of group chats also have the power to enable the feature for their mass conversations.
The service has recently hit the milestone of over 100 billion message sent every day by its two billion users.
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