WhatsApp will implement a new function. The update will allow people to “keep” disappearing messages

The app allowed people to set their messages to automatically delete after a certain amount of time. The app says this feature is meant to make WhatsApp chats more conversational, without users having to worry about what they say staying forever.

Now, WhatsApp says it will offer a feature for exactly that purpose, known as “Keep in Chat.” He refers to this tool as a “sender superpower” because it allows those messages to remain, but only if the person who sent them agrees.

When a message is sent that a person wants to keep, they can click on it and choose the option to keep the message. It will then send a notification to the sender, giving them the option to oppose the decision.

If they prevent it from being saved, the decision is final and the message will be removed from everyone’s devices when the normal timer expires. This is meant to allow people to have the “final say” on what happens to the messages they’ve sent, WhatsApp said.

If the person agrees to have the message saved, they will receive a small bookmark icon. In addition to remaining in the chat, the message will be added to a “Saved Messages” folder, where they can be viewed together, arranged according to the chat they originated from.

The function will be “implemented globally in the next few weeks”, WhatsApp said.

Disappearing messages on WhatsApp allows people to choose whether messages will be deleted after 24 hours, seven days or 90 days. This can be enabled either for all chats or only for certain chats, and both options can be chosen from the WhatsApp settings.

This is one of a number of privacy and security features that WhatsApp says are designed to ensure that messages don’t end up in the wrong hands. Some of these features, such as end-to-end encryption, have proven controversial, with the British government trying to limit their use.