WhatsApp Will Let You Save Disappearing Messages: Here’s How it Works

WhatsApp will finally let recipients save disappearing messages before they're automatically deleted when the timer expires. However, the sender will ultimately have full control over who saves your super-secret disappearing message.

WhatsApp has been testing this feature, called "Keep in Chat," for over a year, but it was never released to the public until now. Earlier this year, the beta version of the feature appeared for Android, and now the stable version is being gradually rolled out globally.

How "Keep in Chat" Works

Disappearing messages provide an extra layer of security while sharing sensitive details in WhatsApp conversations. Recipients will be able to view such messages for a short duration, until it automatically disappears from the chat.

This feature should not be confused with the "View Once" option, which immediately deletes the message when it has been accessed once. Disappearing Messages, on the other hand, get deleted after the timer expires.

Disappearing messages are typically used on WhatsApp for sensitive conversations. However, if recipients want to save some info, the newly-rolling Keep in Chat option will allow them to keep the chat for later.

How to Save Disappearing Messages

WhatsApp calls Keep in Chat a "special superpower for the sender," since the sender will possess the ultimate control over what happens to the message. If the recipient tries to save a message, the sender will receive a notification.

The final decision is in the hands of the sender, who can choose to either allow it to be saved, or to let the message get deleted when the timer expires. This ensures that the messages remain secure.

If the sender allows the recipient to keep the message, it will have a bookmark icon to differentiate it from regular messages. All saved messages will be available in the Kept messages folder.

This feature is being rolled out in phases and will reach all users across the globe in the next few weeks.