New WhatsApp function for secret chats: That’s behind the bookmark symbol

• A new icon has appeared in a beta version of WhatsApp. A bookmark icon will appear next to some messages.
• The icon is reminiscent of the bookmark in the browser and indicates self-deleting messages that have been temporarily saved.
• However, it will not replace the star as a bookmark.

The quick saving of messages in WhatsApp is easy with a tap on the star in Messenger. You can quickly find chats marked in this way without having to dig through the entire history. The star is thus the bookmark function of the messenger. However, a new bookmark symbol has now appeared in WhatsApp beta 2.23.1.24 for Android. Does it replace the tried and tested star?

Don’t worry, you don’t have to do without the star. Rather, the new bookmark symbol in the form of an “indented” square has its own function, as reported by the fan blog WABetaInfo.

“Bookmark Characters” shows “Kept-Messages”

According to the blog, so-called “Kept Messages” are marked with the new sign, a new feature that is currently being worked on. The flagged messages are part of chats with self-deleting messages. They appear next to a message when it’s temporarily excluded from automatic deletion. This process is only temporary, if you remove the “bookmark” the message will be deleted.

The “Keep” function is currently under development. Therefore, it is not known when and if the new icon will appear in the regular version of the messenger. It also remains unclear whether anyone in the chat can bookmark a message and cancel it again, or whether the creator has to do the cancellation.

Also interesting…

In January 2023, WhatsApp also caused a stir with a new “ghost” icon. We explain what this is all about in the linked article.