What Does The Clock Symbol On WhatsApp Mean?

Being the most-used messaging app worldwide, WhatsApp remains an essential app for the majority of smartphone users. As with many messaging apps, there are many symbols to get your head around, such as understanding WhatsApp's check marks. The clock icon is among these symbols, which means two different things, depending on where you see the icon. We'll be taking you through both scenarios, plus what actions you can take in each.

The first place you'll see a clock icon is in the bottom corner of somebody's profile picture. This indicates the user has disappearing messages enabled. WhatsApp allows three options for disappearing messages – 24 hours, seven days, or 90 days. When enabled, any messages sent or received after the selected period will be automatically deleted for both the sender and recipient. Recovering disappearing messages in WhatsApp is especially difficult and not guaranteed, so it's safe not to enable the feature if you'd like to refer back to messages at a later date.

You can choose to enable disappearing messages in WhatsApp for all conversations or individual chats. In either case, users will see that you have the feature enabled, signified by a timer-like clock symbol on your profile picture.

To turn on disappearing messages for individual contacts, open a conversation with the user and click on their name at the top of the chat window. Scroll down until you see the Disappearing messages option, then select one of the time options listed (24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days). You can disable disappearing messages anytime by repeating the same steps and selecting the Off button option beside the timer options.

To enable or disable disappearing messages for all chats, go to the Privacy section on your WhatsApp settings page. Tap on the Default message timer option, then select one of the timer options or "Off" to disable. Disappearing messages can also be enabled in group chats. Tap the group name to access group settings, then select Disappearing messages to enable or disable the feature. By default, anyone can turn on or off disappearing messages, unless group admins have disallowed it.

One hidden WhatsApp feature you need to know about is the one that allows you to keep disappearing messages before they expire. To do this, long-press a message, then tap the Keep option (sometimes shown as a bookmark icon). You can access saved messages by clicking on a contact's name and selecting the Kept messages tab.

If you see the clock icon next to a message, it indicates that it hasn't been sent yet, likely due to an unsuccessful network connection. If this is the case, check your internet connection, ensuring Wi-Fi or mobile data is switched on. Reboot your device and ensure settings that interfere with the internet, such as flight mode, are disabled. If, after doing so, the problem persists, then you're likely dealing with a network issue.

There are many fixes if your Wi-Fi is down, including checking your router settings and disconnecting any devices that might be causing congestion. If connected to a cellular network, try switching location to somewhere with a stronger signal. One quick, easy way to check your connectivity is by going to your browser and opening any webpage. If your connection is running smoothly, WhatsApp recommends updating the app and turning off any data-saving options to fix issues with sending messages.

As the clock icon next to messages indicates a pending status, you may see it appear when sending large files, such as photos and videos. There's no need for concern if this occurs – WhatsApp will inform you if the file size is too large or the format is not supported. If you are encountering a delay, sending media in standard quality rather than HD can help speed things up, plus it will save data.