According to a new report, WhatsApp is trying to make it easier for users to erase messages in conversations. Currently, if you want to use messages that disappear after 7 days, you must turn on this setting for each conversation. This setting is applied on a per-user basis and is not a uniform setting.

However, WhatsApp will change this feature in the next version. Instead, you will be able to apply this setting to all chats. Once turned on, new chats will expire after a predetermined time. It is unclear if this is the existing 7 days or if it will allow more control over how long messages expire.

This information comes from the reliable WABetaInfo, which revealed the possibility of new features being added to the Facebook-owned chat app. As always, these features are often included in test versions of the software, but may or may not make it into the production service at some point in the future.

As with all forms of disappearing messages, they provide only modest security. Forwarding a message or screenshot would allow a copy to be retained even if this setting is turned on. Ultimately, this does not help at all in deleting past conversations, but may be useful if one wants to police the amount of chats stored on one's phone.

Signal, which is considered one of the more secure of the mass-market apps, already offers more granular control over how long messages are kept. However, Signal's message disappearance settings are also user-specific, and there is no global option to make all chats disappear after a certain period of time.

However, with many complaining about WhatsApp's new terms of service and privacy policy, the fact that the feature is now available in an alternative app is generally good news. As Facebook tightens its grip on WhatsApp, it is possible that users will leave the chat and start using other services.