Signal and WhatsApp have disappearing message feature, but none can notify users when screenshot is taken  (2024)

New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 11, 2021 16:31 IST

Signal has announced updates to its disappearing messages feature. The messaging app has added a new feature that would let users set a custom timer duration for all its disappearing messages. Interestingly, the feature has been announced days after WhatsApp made its View Once feature official. However, Signal had the disappearing messages feature way before WhatsApp got it. Signal had introduced the disappearing messages feature way back in 2016.

Signal has only enhanced the disappearing messages feature now by giving customisation options to users. Until now, Signal users had to manually configure the disappearing messages feature all the individual chats and group chats. But now users can now preconfigure all conversations including group, individual chats with a default timer.

Signal has also added the ability to set custom timer durations on your conversations. Using this, you can choose whether you want the content to be gone in 60 seconds or want to stay for as long as 18 minutes or 4 weeks.

Announcing the feature, Signal said in a blog post, “Disappearing messages provide a way to keep your message history tidy. When enabled for a conversation, messages will be deleted for the sender and recipients after the specified time.” The messaging app also said that it is a nice way to save storage space on your devices. It is also good for limiting the amount of conversation history that remains on your device.

Now for users, who are active on WhatsApp, this feature is not completely unheard of. The feature is similar in both the messaging apps and even the disappearing message icon looks similar. Signal has now given more controls to users which WhatsApp does not have yet.

Signal in its blog had warned users about sharing disappearing media with adversaries. “This is not for situations where your contact is your adversary — after all, if someone who receives a disappearing message really wants a record of it, they can always use another camera to take a photo of the screen before the message disappears,” the company said. But Signal, just like WhatsApp does not have a screenshot detection feature. Meaning, it will not notify users when the screenshot of the view once media is taken. Signal, which is deemed safer than WhatsApp in terms of privacy, also did not unveil the feature that could notify the sender about the screenshots being taken.

WhatsApp had also asked its users to send view once media to trusted contacts only because the feature can be exploited using multiple ways. The messaging app, however, did not roll out any additional features or tools to stop users from misusing the view once media feature.