Messages that delete for both people
How disappearing messages work, where copies survive, and how Island.chat's message lifespan works.
Short answer
Disappearing messages in most apps delete the message from each device when a timer runs out, but copies can survive outside the chat: screenshots, saved photos, backups, notifications and devices that were offline. Island.chat keeps one encrypted copy on its server instead of a copy on each phone, so when a message's time runs out, or you delete it, it is removed for both of you at once. No app can remove a screenshot the other person took.
Island.chat works this way: no app to install, no push notifications, no phone number required to register.
Start a private conversationHow disappearing messages usually work
WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram all offer disappearing messages: a timer you turn on for a chat. Each phone keeps its own copy of the conversation, and when the timer ends, each device deletes the message from the chat. Usually either person in the chat can turn the timer on, change it or switch it off.
Where copies can survive
- Screenshots and photos of the screen.
- Photos and files saved to the phone. A picture saved to the gallery stays there after it disappears from the chat.
- Backups. A phone or cloud backup made before the message disappeared can still contain it.
- Notifications. A preview already shown on the lock screen, or kept in a notification history, is outside the chat.
- Linked devices. A computer or tablet that is switched off or offline keeps its copy until it next connects.
- Replies and forwards. A reply that quotes a message, or a forward to another chat, can outlive the original.
How Island.chat handles it
Island.chat keeps a single conversation on its server, encrypted so that we cannot read it. Neither phone stores a copy: your browser decrypts messages in its memory while the page is open. So there are no per-device copies to clean up, no message history in phone backups, and no linked device holding an old copy.
Message lifespan
In Settings you choose how long your messages are kept: 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days (the default), 90 days, 365 days, or Forever, which keeps them until you delete them. The setting applies to all your conversations. In each conversation the shorter of the two people's settings applies to both, so either of you can make it shorter, and neither can keep messages longer than the other wants. Time is counted from when each message was sent, and expired messages are deleted within the hour.
Deleting sooner
- One message: you can delete any message you sent. Its encrypted content is removed for both of you at once, leaving only a note that a message was deleted.
- The whole conversation: removing the connection permanently deletes every message between you, for both people. There is no archive or recovery.
Side by side
| Where a copy can survive | Typical disappearing messages | Island.chat |
|---|---|---|
| Copies on each phone | Yes, until each device deletes it | None. The only copy is encrypted on the server |
| Phone and cloud backups | Can contain it | No message history on the phone to back up |
| Offline linked devices | Until they reconnect | None |
| Photos saved to the gallery | Often | Only files someone chooses to download |
| Screenshots | Yes | Yes |
What can still survive
- Screenshots, photos of the screen and copied text made by either person. No app can undo those.
- Files someone downloaded to their device.
- Our server backups can hold encrypted copies for about 30 days until they expire.
- Reported messages. If someone reports a message as abuse, the reported content is kept for the safety review. Our Privacy Policy explains how long.
About Island.chat
Island.chat is private, invite-only one-to-one messaging in your browser. There is no app to install and no phone number required to register, and messages are end-to-end encrypted on your device before they are uploaded. $20 for 30 days after a free trial. One person pays, both message.