WhatsApp has finally confirmed that it will soon roll out the much-anticipated 'Disappearing messages' feature for the users. The FAQ page by WhatsApp has revealed details as to how will this feature work. It explains that once you enable the 'disappearing message' feature, the messages sent by you on groups as well as on individual chats will disappear after seven days. On group chats, only the admin will have an option of enabling this feature whereas, on individual chats, users can decide if they want to turn it off or on.
The message will disappear after seven days even if it is not read by then. But WhatsApp confirms that the preview of such unread messages will be shown in the notification even after that. Once the message disappears after seven days, its reply messages will still be shown in the chatbox. The disappearing messages feature does not imply for forwarded messages.
The FAQ page reveals that disappearing messages will be included in the WhatsApp backup if they are backed up before they disappear, however, they will be deleted once the user restores that backup.
The media files will also be deleted after seven days if the disappearing messages feature is turned on. If you have turned-on the auto-download option, these media files can still be found on your devices.
To enable this feature, all you need to do is open chatbox, tap on the contact name> Disappearing messages> On.
source https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/whatsapp-confirms-it-will-soon-roll-out-disappearing-messages-feature-how-it-works-8977661.html
