How to send self-destructing messages on every major app
Most messaging apps can delete messages automatically, but you usually have to switch it on. WhatsApp offers 24-hour, 7-day and 90-day timers; Signal and Telegram let you set custom timers; Instagram uses vanish mode; Snapchat deletes chats after viewing. Talklio deletes every message 24 hours after it's sent, always.
"Self-destructing", "disappearing", "vanishing", "auto-delete": every app has its own name for it, and they all work slightly differently. Here's how to turn it on in each one, in one place. For how it works behind the scenes, see disappearing messages explained.
At a glance
| App | Feature name | Timer options | On by default? | Works in groups? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disappearing messages | 24 hours, 7 days, 90 days | No, but you can set a default for new chats | Yes | |
| Signal | Disappearing messages | Custom, from seconds to weeks | No, but you can set a default | Yes |
| Telegram | Auto-delete / self-destruct timer | Preset and custom timers | No | Auto-delete yes; Secret Chats are one-to-one only |
| Vanish mode | Until seen and the chat is closed | No | No, one-to-one only | |
| Snapchat | Delete Chats | After viewing, or 24 hours after viewing | Yes, deletes after viewing | Yes |
| Talklio | Always on | 24 hours after sending | Always, can't be turned off | Each person has a private chat with the owner |
- Open the chat (or group).
- Tap the contact or group name at the top.
- Tap Disappearing messages.
- Choose 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days.
To make it the default for every new chat, go to Settings, Privacy, Default message timer. WhatsApp added the default timer and the extra durations in late 2021 (Meta). Either person in a one-to-one chat can change the setting, and WhatsApp shows a notice when they do.
Signal
- Open the conversation and tap the contact's name.
- Tap Disappearing messages and pick a time, or set a custom one.
For every new conversation, go to Settings, Privacy, Default timer for new chats. Signal allows anything from a few seconds to several weeks (Signal).
Telegram
Telegram has two separate features:
- Auto-delete works in normal chats and groups. Open the chat, tap the name, open the menu, choose Auto-delete (or Enable auto-delete) and pick a time.
- Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted one-to-one chats with their own self-destruct timer. Start one from a contact's profile, then tap the clock icon to set the timer.
Regular Telegram chats aren't end-to-end encrypted, even with auto-delete on. Only Secret Chats are (Kaspersky). Our Talklio vs Telegram comparison goes into this.
Instagram (vanish mode)
- Open a one-to-one DM in the Instagram app.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the chat until you feel a buzz.
- A banner confirms vanish mode is on. Swipe up again to turn it off.
Messages sent in vanish mode disappear once they've been seen and the chat is closed. The other person is told when you switch it on, and Instagram alerts you if someone screenshots a vanish mode message. It doesn't work in group chats (Setsmart).
Snapchat
Snapchat chats delete after viewing by default. To give a conversation a little longer, press and hold the friend on the Chat screen, tap More, then Delete Chats…, and choose 24 Hours after Viewing (Adweek). Snap has also tested an option to keep chats indefinitely (Snap). Either person can tap a message to save it in the chat, which overrides the deletion for that message.
iPhone Messages (iMessage)
Apple's Messages app doesn't have a self-destruct timer for texts. The closest built-in option is Invisible Ink, which hides a message until it's tapped but doesn't delete it (Techloy). You can make your iPhone delete old conversations after 30 days or a year with the Keep Messages setting in Messages settings, but that only clears your own device. If you want real disappearing messages with someone on an iPhone, use one of the other apps here.
Talklio
There's nothing to switch on. Every message, photo, voice note and call record on Talklio deletes itself 24 hours after it's sent, from our servers and from everyone's screen, and nobody can change that. Each message shows a small countdown so you know how long it has left. The whole private space then closes after 30 days.
It's the simplest option if you want certainty: no settings to remember, no way for the other person to switch it off, and no account linked to your phone number.
What no app can stop
Self-destructing messages protect you from old chats piling up, leaking in a breach, or being found on a lost phone. They can't stop the person you're talking to from:
- taking a screenshot, or photographing their screen with another phone
- copying the text before it disappears
- forwarding what you said before the timer runs out
Some apps (Snapchat, Instagram vanish mode) tell you about screenshots, but a second phone gets round that. Only send what you'd be comfortable with the other person keeping.
Frequently asked questions
How do I send a self-destructing message on WhatsApp?
Open the chat, tap the contact's name, tap Disappearing messages and choose 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days. New messages in that chat will then disappear after the time you picked.
Does iMessage have self-destructing messages?
No. Apple's Messages app has no self-destruct timer for texts. Invisible Ink hides a message until it's tapped but doesn't delete it.
Which app has the shortest disappearing message timer?
Signal and Telegram allow timers of just a few seconds. Instagram vanish mode deletes messages as soon as they've been seen and the chat is closed.
Which messaging app deletes messages automatically by default?
Snapchat deletes chats after viewing by default, though messages can be saved. Talklio deletes every message 24 hours after sending, always, with no option to save or switch it off.