WhatsApp to introduce self-destruct messages but why will people use them?

WhatsApp might roll out a new feature that auto-deletes messages on the platform. The feature, dubbed ‘Disappearing Messages’, is currently in its alpha testing stage and it might be rolled out to the public beta version soon.

Although the messaging platform allows ‘permanent deletion’ of messages, the new feature is very different than that. The ‘Disappearing Messages’ functionality will let you schedule group chat messages to disappear after a fixed time which can be set anywhere between 5 seconds or an hour. The deleted messages will have no trace of deletion. They will be deleted only after the recipient reads them, however.

Permanently deleting messages leaves behind a notification which reads ‘You deleted this message’.