WhatsApp will now allow you to make your messages vanish for all new chats. It’s a feature that means that all messages sent within a conversation will disappear after a period of time, with the company letting you choose between a day, a week, or three months.
“As more of our conversations move from face-to-face to digital, we acknowledge there is a certain magic in just sitting down with someone in-person, sharing your thoughts in confidence, knowing you are both connecting in private and in that moment. The freedom to be honest and vulnerable, knowing that conversation isn’t being recorded and stored somewhere forever,” the WhatsApp team explained. The feature is rolling out now on iOS and Android. Enabling it is done by opening the WhatsApp settings and navigating to Account>Privacy>Default Message Timer.
When you enable disappearing messages for a chat, all messages in that chat will be deleted when the specified time is reached. This will happen even if the message is not opened before the time limit is reached. At the same time, there are some exceptions. A deleted message will remain visible in the notifications preview if WhatsApp isn’t opened, depending on your operating system. Messages that are quote replied could remain visible in the quote, and deleted messages that are forwarded to another chat will not be deleted.
WhatsApp also notes that deleted messages aren’t foolproof as far as privacy goes and should really only be used with a trusted party. As mentioned, forwarding a message is a worry, but so is screenshotting, capturing the message with another phone’s camera, or just copying and pasting the message in a notes app. It’s been a problem in other apps featuring ephemeral messaging like Snapchat, though those apps do send screenshot alerts to alert the other party that a screenshot was taken.
Disappearing messages can be set as default for all new chats, or can be enabled manually in existing chats — both individual and group. A notification will alert participants when the feature is turned on.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.