WhatsApp was earlier spotted to be working on a new ‘Delete Messages’ feature that will essentially self-destroy chats after a specified time. This new feature was first seen in development on Android, and now it has been spotted on iOS as well. Interestingly, WhatsApp seems to have changed the course on the “Delete Messages” feature and is now reportedly developing it as a “cleaning tool” for groups. The feature seems to help admins delete group chats after a while, in order to help manage storage, and get rid of old chats automatically.
WABetaInfo has spotted this new ‘Delete Messages’ feature in group chats in the latest iOS beta version 2.20.10.23/24. The tipster says that this feature has been removed from individual chats, and is only reflecting in group chats now. Investigating further, WABetaInfo discovered that the Delete Messages feature will work as sort of a cleaning tool for group chats. Only admins can enable or disable it, and ascertain the time frame as to when the messages should be deleted. This will help clean old messages automatically, and save up on phone storage. There’s still no word on when this feature will be enabled for testing. There’s also no word on Dark Mode release date either, and this feature has been under development for a long time now.
Now that we know what Delete Messages feature can be used for, it is a welcome addition to groups that are often plagued with too many chats, unknowingly eating up phone storage. As mentioned, admins will be able to choose how long the messages will last before they are deleted, and they can select options ranging from one hour to one year.
WhatsApp Spotted Working on Self-Destructing ‘Delete Message’ Feature in Latest Android Beta