WhatsApp has introduced what it calls a “sender superpower” - the ability to save messages that would otherwise disappear in short-term chats.
TheDisappearing Messagesfunctionality on WhatsApp is handy for online conversations you plan to have, without them sticking around forever. However, sometimes one of the members of a group says something that you’d like to take a note of or keep stored. That’s why the Meta-owned app firm has created Keep in Chat - a tool you may use to keep hold of specific text messages even in a Disappearing Messages-enabled group.
One exception is if the original message sender disapproves of you saving it, as they will receive a pop-up when you do. They can then choose to allow you to store it or delete it remotely.
The feature will roll out inWhatsAppacross platforms globally in the “next few weeks” - you may even have it already. Here’s how to use it.
How to use “Keep in Chat” in Disappearing Messages (how to save texts before they vanish)
When the feature arrives as part of an imminent WhatsApp update, it should be easy to save messages in Disappearing Messages chats - just long press on the message you want to keep.
The messages will then be saved in a Kept Messages folder to refer to in future. Kept messages will also stay in the original chat so everyone can continue to read them.
However, the original sender of a text message will receive a notification that you have saved it. They can then choose to remove/delete the kept message by hitting the bookmark icon. And, if they decide to “unkeep” the message, neither you nor anyone else in the group will be able to keep that message again.
What are Disappearing Messages?
The Disappearing Messages functionality in WhatsApp was introduced in 2021 and allows new chats to have set time limits for how long messages will be readable before expiring. This includes the ability to keep them for 24-hours, 7-days, or 90-days.
You can find out how to set chat groups to feature Disappearing Messages in our handy guide -WhatsApp disappearing messages: How do they work and how to enable them.
