Signal's Disappearing Messages Feature Gets Custom Timer That Can Be Preconfigured for All Chats

Signal is adding a feature to set a preconfigured custom timer duration for all its disappearing messages. Earlier, users would have to manually configure the disappearing messages feature but now all group and personal conversations can be preconfigured with a predefined timer. The disappearing messages functionality for Signal was first introduced to users back in 2016 and it allowed everyone to automatically delete sent and received messages after a specified amount of time. Signal recently gained a huge popularity after WhatsApp's privacy policy row earlier this year.

Announcing the new feature via a blog post, Signal mentions that the disappearing messages feature is mostly for reducing storage space and limiting the amount of conversation history. The encrypted chat app also mentions that the disappearing messages function can also be configured for the Note To Self chat. However, Signal also warned users that the disappearing messages function doesn't guarantee utmost privacy as the recipient can take a photo of the chat with another device before the message disappears.

Signal's custom timer feature was first introduced in 2016. Earlier, the timer for disappearing messages could be set from five seconds to one week. However, users now have the ability to set a custom timer that can be set to as low as one second. New standard options to set a timer range from 30 seconds to up to four weeks.

To set a timer for disappearing messages, tap on the three-dots icon and click on Settings. Once there, head to Privacy where you'll find an option for Default timer for new chats. This menu gives you nine options - Off, 4 weeks, 1 week, 1 day, 8 hours, 1 hour, 5 minutes, 30 seconds, and Custom time.