What does the new icon on WhatsApp profile pictures mean?

The symbol indicates a new function. This should be taken into account when using the new function.

Anyone who has looked at their WhatsApp contact list in the past few days may have noticed that some profile pictures have a new icon. The circular clock symbol means that someone has activated a new feature of the messaging service.

These are self-deleting messages that are automatically removed 7 days after a message is sent. This feature has been gradually rolled out to all WhatsApp users since November, Telegraph reports.

What the new feature means

"What we send doesn't have to last forever." With this sentence, the messenger service announced the new feature. But if you use self-delete messages, you should inform yourself in advance what exactly the new feature means.

In a private chat, either of the two participants can turn self-delete messages on or off at any time. Only administrators have this option in groups.

Self-delete messages can be forwarded

If a user doesn't open WhatsApp for 7 days, the self-delete message disappears even if the user hasn't seen the message yet.

If you forward a message from a conversation in which self-deleting messages are enabled to a conversation in which the new feature is not enabled, it will remain visible there even after the 7 days have expired.

How to enable self-deleting messages

Open the WhatsApp chat
Tap the contact's name
Click on "Self-delete messages"
Select "On"