Signal gets chats with disappearing messages

Open Whisper Systems has released an update for chat app Signal. The update adds a timer to make messages disappear automatically and users can now check the encryption of the chat.

The update allows users to add a timer to a chat. If a chat participant has read a message, it will be deleted after the specified time. According to Open Whisper Systems, the feature is not intended to secure messages; after all, the recipient can take a picture of the message with another camera. The company indicates that the function serves to save space and to keep chats organized.

Since the update, Signal includes the ability to verify chats by reading a number out loud or scanning a QR code. All participants in a chat should have the same code. It was previously possible to perform such verification, but the update should make the process easier. WhatsApp has been using a similar system since that company began encrypting all messages in April.

Signal is available for Android, iOS and desktop systems using a web application. The app supports encrypted messages. Because of this encryption, whistleblower Edward Snowden prefers this app over other chat apps, as he reiterated when Google’s chat app Allo came out.