Guide
When messages disappear
| Situation | When it’s deleted |
|---|---|
| The other person reads it | 5 minutes after it’s read |
| No one reads it | 3 hours after it’s sent |
| You unsend it | Right away (on the other phone, when it next connects) |
| Either person ends the connection | All messages in the room, right away |
So every message is gone within 3 hours and 5 minutes at most.
5 minutes after it’s read
A message counts as read when it actually appears on the other person’s screen. Opening the room isn’t enough if the message is scrolled out of view. Five minutes after it’s read, it’s deleted from both phones. Each message shows how much time is left.
The deadline is set by our server’s clock, not your phone’s. Changing the time on your phone doesn’t delay deletion.
If it isn’t read
If a message isn’t read within 3 hours of being sent, it’s deleted at the 3-hour mark and can no longer be read.
Photos
Photos follow the same rules as text. They aren’t saved to your photo library.
Unsending a message
Press and hold a message you sent, then choose Unsend. You can do this any time before it disappears. It’s removed from the app on both phones, and no “message deleted” note is left behind.
If the other phone is offline, the message is removed when it next connects. If the other person already took a screenshot or a photo of the screen, that can’t be taken back.
On our servers
Messages and photos are end-to-end encrypted, so we can’t read them. Our servers keep the encrypted copy only until the other phone has received it, then delete it. Even if it’s never delivered, it’s deleted at its deadline.
What poqop can’t delete
- Photos of the screen taken with another device. On Android, poqop blocks screenshots. On iPhone, the other person is told when you take one. Neither can stop a second camera.
- Messages on a phone that’s offline. Each phone deletes messages at their deadline on its own, and deletes expired messages before showing anything when the app is opened again. But an unsend or a disconnect reaches an offline phone only when it reconnects.
- Messages someone reports. If the other person reports you, they can choose messages that were on their phone when they started the report and send them to us. We keep reports for 90 days.