Signal's Disappearing Messages Feature Gets Custom Timer That Can Be Preconfigured for All Chats

Signal's disappearing messages feature was first introduced in October 2016.

By Satvik Khare | Updated: 11 August 2021 15:29 IST

Highlights

Signal's disappearing messages function can be applied to all chats now
The disappearing messages feature can be applied to 'Note to Self' chat
Signal's disappearing messages helps in reducing storage space

Signal's Disappearing Messages Feature Gets Custom Timer That Can Be Preconfigured for All Chats

Signal's disappearing messages functionality gets a configurable timer feature

Photo Credit: Signal

Signal is adding a feature to set a preconfigured custom timer duration for all its disappearing messages. Earlier, users would have to manually configure the disappearing messages feature but now all group and personal conversations can be preconfigured with a predefined timer. The disappearing messages functionality for Signal was first introduced to users back in 2016 and it allowed everyone to automatically delete sent and received messages after a specified amount of time. Signal recently gained a huge popularity after WhatsApp's privacy policy row earlier this year.

Announcing the new feature via a blog post, Signal mentions that the disappearing messages feature is mostly for reducing storage space and limiting the amount of conversation history. The encrypted chat app also mentions that the disappearing messages function can also be configured for the Note To Self chat. However, Signal also warned users that the disappearing messages function doesn't guarantee utmost privacy as the recipient can take a photo of the chat with another device before the message disappears.

Shout out to everyone who's been asking for this for a while.

Now you can set a default disappearing message timer in Signal. All new groups you create or new conversations you initiate will be preconfigured with it. https://t.co/QGWv6DTx6V
— Moxie Marlinspike (@moxie) August 10, 2021

Signal's custom timer feature was first introduced in 2016. Earlier, the timer for disappearing messages could be set from five seconds to one week. However, users now have the ability to set a custom timer that can be set to as low as one second. New standard options to set a timer range from 30 seconds to up to four weeks.

To set a timer for disappearing messages, tap on the three-dots icon and click on Settings. Once there, head to Privacy where you'll find an option for Default timer for new chats. This menu gives you nine options - Off, 4 weeks, 1 week, 1 day, 8 hours, 1 hour, 5 minutes, 30 seconds, and Custom time.

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