WhatsApp keeps bringing new features. You may have wondered about the small clock-shaped icon in your contacts’ profile pictures. We’ll tell you what it’s all about and how you too can use the new function.
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In the past few weeks, WhatsApp has repeatedly rolled out new functions for the most popular messenger in Germany. There has recently been a new emoji function or vacation mode that many users have been waiting for for a long time. In addition, the design can now also be adjusted in individual chats , which makes WhatsApp a little nicer. But you’ve probably noticed that a small clock appears on some of your contacts’ profile pictures. But what does it mean?
THAT MEANS THE CLOCK ICON IN THE PROFILE PICTURES ON WHATSAPP
Whether users of Telegram, Signal or Snapchat: The function, which has also been available for WhatsApp users for some time, is well known. It allows you to add an expiry date to sent messages. After a certain amount of time, they simply disappear from your contact’s chat.
If one of your contacts has expired messages enabled, a small clock icon will appear in their profile picture. This is how you know he or she has sent you messages that will delete themselves in 7 days.
SENDING MESSAGES WITH AN EXPIRY DATE: HERE’S HOW
If you want to send an expiring message yourself, you must first activate this option. If the text has already been sent, this no longer works. With WhatsApp, you can switch the function on and off individually in each chat. To do this, tap on your contact’s name and then on “Self-Deleting Messages”. In groups only the admin can activate expiring messages.
EXPIRING MESSAGES: YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT
If you send messages with an expiry date on WhatsApp, you should be careful. Because: Anyone who sends an expiring message obviously also wants it to disappear from their chat partner after seven days. However, your WhatsApp contact has a handful of ways to save the message’s content, making a mockery of the new feature, which is already questionable .
For example, he can take a screenshot of the message, copy and save the content or forward the message to another chat. In addition: If you send pictures and videos with an expiry date and your contact has activated the setting that WhatsApp saves all incoming files on their smartphone, they are still visible there after seven days. The pictures then only disappear in the chat, but remain saved on the cell phone.
