WhatsApp releases a function to save a disappearing message

Messaging service WhatsApp has announced the Keep in Chat function to save disappearing messages. The sender of the message is then asked whether the recipient can save the message, so that the sender can still delete the message.

In WhatsApp conversations, users can choose to have messages disappear from all devices it is sent to after 24 hours to 90 days. “But sometimes you want to save a voice message or important piece of information,” writes WhatsAppso the company is releasing the Keep in Chat feature.

The update allows users to save a disappearing message by long pressing the message. If the message has been saved, it will not be automatically deleted after the 24 hours to 90 days specified by the sender.

However, the sender of the message will receive a notification asking whether the message can indeed be kept indefinitely. The sender may veto the saving, after which the message will still be deleted when the preset time has passed. WhatsApp says that the saved messages can be viewed in a separate folder, together with other saved messages. The Keep in Chat feature should come to all WhatsApp users in the coming weeks and was previously available in a beta version.