The days when WhatsApp was bare of features and was simply an app to send messages are long gone. Over the years they have added more and more options to try to adapt to users who need specific tools, like temporary chats or channels where only the administrator can send messages. Among so many new features, you may have been surprised by the one in which a flag icon appears on a WhatsApp message. But what does this actually mean? What is it for?
First of all, it is not a virus or some external phenomenon you should worry about; it is simply a new WhatsApp tool related, precisely, to temporary conversations.
The flag in WhatsApp messages: Someone has marked a message so it will not be deleted from temporary conversations
As we said, WhatsApp introduced temporary chats a few years ago, a feature that lets us limit how long messages remain in the conversation; after the set time they will self-destruct.
So if you see the little flag icon on one of the WhatsApp messages, it means the other participant has selected the “Keep” option so that that particular message does not disappear when the chat self-destructs.
It is certainly an interesting feature for keeping an important message that we do not want to be deleted when the time limit set in one of these temporary conversations is reached. A date, an address, or any other relevant information you want to keep in the chat to consult later, for example.
How to keep messages in WhatsApp within temporary chats
To use this option, simply press and hold the message bubble and you will see “Keep”; just tap it and the message will be selected to prevent it from being deleted. Obviously, as we have said, this feature is only available if the chat is set as temporary. In addition, it can only be used on messages that were sent after the temporary messages feature was activated in the chat.
Keep in mind that the other person will know you have marked the message, as the flag icon will also appear on their WhatsApp. You can not only keep your own messages, but also those of other participants.
Then, if you change your mind and want to remove the flag, simply follow the same steps: press and hold the bubble and tap “Stop keeping” to unmark it. Note that once you stop keeping it, no one else will be able to do it again.
Remember that to activate temporary conversations you must open the person’s or group’s chat (only if you are an administrator in the case of groups), tap the contact’s (or group’s) name and tap “Temporary messages”; then you only need to set a time limit for the chat history to be deleted from that moment (24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days).
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