Being able to delete your own messages can be handy at times, but ancient history is most useful as something to refer back to, and should be preserved. I feel it would make more sense for message deleting to be limited to a certain amount of time after the message is posted. It could be a few minutes, it could be a few days, but a limit feels important. If you keep a conversation around because it has a lot of good information, then someone decides years later that it isn't worth anything to them and they delete their messages, they've ruined part of the experience for you.
Proposal:
Allow the message deletion limit to be decided by the group admin, or by the individuals in a conversation. The limit could be hours, days, or never. Changing the limit could notify everyone in the group, or require agreement in one-on-one conversations.
Controlling your chat history should apply to both parties, not just the one who wants to delete it.
for private chats I think it's a good idea that the user can set a time limit to modifications and deletions and the other user can accept it, and this limit remains valid until a new proposal from one of them and accepted by the other one
Shady Manaa
I am totally supporting this idea, please consider implementing this <3
Joshua
Some time ago Telegram made it even worse by allowing the other side to delete the messages YOU WROTE for both ends as well. Telegram calls this a "privacy feature" but in my opinion this is just a gaslighting and scammer feature. If you send a message you should be aware that the other end could export the chat, screenshot it or show it to others anyway. So you can't rely on the deletion feature anyway.
Also the process was pretty dirty with the delete-everything feature. The shitstorm when they added the ability to delete all messages for both ends was pretty big. In fact it was so big that Telegram started a poll about the "New privacy features" (which contained useful features as well and not only the delete-everything feature that many people hated). So people where never able to vote on the particular feature but only on the whole package.
D
Deleted Account
100% support it. The "Delete Without a Trace" feature as it is right now sucks. You really hit the nail on the head with your last sentence: "Controlling your chat history should apply to both parties, not just the one who wants to delete it."
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Alle
Looks like Telegram doesn't want to add this feature. The latest update also seems to reinforce their position about this. Cit. "Some conversations aren't meant to last forever, which is why Telegram users can delete messages for all participants in a conversation at any time, without a trace." (https://telegram.org/blog/autodelete-inv2?ln=r)
that new feature doesn't create problems, since one sets it and the other can accept to continue messaging knowing that within a certain time the messages will be deleted, or disable the feature before continuing messaging
the problem with unlimited deletion is that you cannot decide before chatting if you both agree that the other can delete messages... once there was a choice: unlimited deletion in secret chat, deletion within 48 hours in private chat, this was perfect!
N
Noman Ahmed
deleting entire chat for both sides surely gives us control over our privacy and this feature should remain as it is. however another feature could be introduced for both participants to come into an agreement preventing deletion of the chat, a certain time (1 minute) limit could be allowed to delete or edit the messages. in groups admins can change whether the chats can be deleted or not but of course members will get notifications to agree or disagree.
Also the process was pretty dirty with the delete-everything feature. The shitstorm when they added the ability to delete all messages for both ends was pretty big. In fact it was so big that Telegram started a poll about the "New privacy features" (which contained useful features as well and not only the delete-everything feature that many people hated). So people where never able to vote on the particular feature but only on the whole package.
the problem with unlimited deletion is that you cannot decide before chatting if you both agree that the other can delete messages... once there was a choice: unlimited deletion in secret chat, deletion within 48 hours in private chat, this was perfect!