WhatsApp has changed the way its disappearing messages feature works within its app, allowing users to apply self-deleting messages to all chats by default.

As expected earlier this year, users can make ephemeral chats the global default for all messages, and can choose the timeframe over which messages are automatically deleted: 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days for messages to be automatically deleted. The time limit by which messages are automatically deleted can be selected from 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days.

WhatsApp portrays this as a way to allow people to spontaneously live in the moment without being wary or worried about leaving their thoughts and feelings in written or spoken form.

"As many of our conversations move from face-to-face to digital, we recognize that there is a certain magic in just sitting down with someone face-to-face, sharing your thoughts confidentially, and connecting in the moment just the two of you," the company wrote in a blog post announcing the change.

It is also about privacy, lamenting in the post that "we have become accustomed to leaving digital copies of almost everything we type without being aware of it."

It is still optional, so it does not affect those who prefer to keep a record of their chats to find old links, etc. It is also worth noting that even if this setting is enabled for all chats, it will not work retroactively.

Since this is a major change to the way WhatsApp works, WhatsApp has set it up so that when you enable disappearing messages and start a new conversation, your contacts will be notified of your choice. The post explains, "This is nothing personal, but a choice about how you want to communicate in the future on WhatsApp."

This feature can also be enabled during the initial setup of a group chat, but it is worth remembering that as a privacy measure, this is not a sure thing. Messages could be forwarded or screenshot for posterity.

However, if you are communicating in such a way with people against your express will, no matter how well intentioned, you likely have a bigger problem that technology cannot fix.