Meta’s Instagram-like platform, Threads, is reportedly testing out an option for users, allowing them to put an expiration period on their posts. Simply put, the message will be put up for a period of 24 hours after which, it just disappears from their wall.
Confirmation of the expiration timer was provided by a Meta spokesperson to TechCrunch, but did not disclose if the testing was going to be region-specific or available globally if the platform greenlights it in the future.
The feature was initially discovered by an app reverse engineer, Alessandro Paluzzi, who publishing their discovery of the feature last week. As to how it works – basically, when you tap the reply button, you’ll be able to see a timer next to the individual’s name and reply. Once the time reaches zero, their message should technically disappear.
This isn’t the first time a social media platform has tested out the concept of a disappearing message. Before Elon Musk acquired Twitter, the platform had experimented with a feature similar to that of Fleets in 2020. That feature was ultimately shut down a year later due to low popularity and usage of the feature.
(Source: TechCrunch, Engadget)
