New Delhi: WhatsApp has announced that a new update, version 2.21.240, is now available for download on the App Store. Users of the messaging app on Android and iOS have received a number of improvements. The most recent is for iOS users. WABetaInfo shared the information on its Twitter account, where it stated, “What’s new in WhatsApp Messenger for iOS 2.21.240? WhatsApp is already rolling out these capabilities for the latest WhatsApp update on the App Store, after unveiling a default message timer and different durations for disappearing messages.”
WhatsApp had previously announced on December 6, 2021 that new functionality regarding vanishing messages is now trickling out to users of stable WhatsApp upgrades. And today, on the App Store, WhatsApp has finally released a suitable update. The default message timer is a new feature that allows you to create new chat threads with vanishing messages enabled by default. Within WhatsApp’s Privacy Settings, you can toggle this option on or off.
Furthermore, when you activate disappearing messages in your chats, WhatsApp is offering two new durations: 90 days and 24 hours. Both capabilities were previously available to iOS and Android beta testers, but WhatsApp eventually made them available to all users on December 7, including WhatsApp Business, according to WABetaInfo.
WhatsApp said in a blog post that it is excited to provide users with more options to govern their messages and how long they keep around, with default disappearing messages and multiple durations, while talking about more control and privacy.
For all new chats, WhatsApp users will now have the option to turn on disappearing messages by default. When activated, any new one-on-one chats you or another person start will be set to end after the specified amount of time, and WhatsApp has added a new option when initiating a group chat that allows you to turn it on for groups you form. This new feature is optional, and it will not affect or destroy any existing chats.
In addition to the existing choice of 7 days, the application has added two more durations for disappearing messages: 24 hours and 90 days. “For people who choose to switch on default disappearing messages, we will display a message in your chats that tells people this is the default you’ve chosen. This makes clear it’s nothing personal – it’s a choice you’ve made about how you want to communicate with everyone on WhatsApp moving forward. Though of course, if you need a particular conversation to remain permanent, it’s easy to switch a chat back,” WhatsApp said.
