A temporary chat room for the things that shouldn't last in your other messaging apps
A Furtiva room is a temporary private group chat: open it, send the invite link, talk, and it ends by itself once the conversation goes quiet. It's for the chats that don't belong in WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram or Discord, where every message, photo and inside joke stays in the history forever, synced to every device and backed up to the cloud. No account, no phone number, up to 8 people, free.
Why some conversations shouldn't live in your usual chats
Your everyday messaging apps are built to keep things. That's what you want for the family group and your work chat. It's the wrong default for a flirty back-and-forth, the group planning a surprise, a late-night vent or the photos you'd only show the people in the room. In a regular chat, those stay:
- In the scrollback. Months later, anyone who picks up a phone or is added to the group can scroll back to it.
- On every linked device. Desktop apps, tablets and web sessions get their own copy.
- In cloud backups. Phone backups keep chats and media long after you've cleared them from the screen.
- In the camera roll. Many apps save received photos and videos to the gallery automatically.
- Tied to who you are. Your phone number or account follows you into every group.
How a Furtiva room works
- Start a room on furtiva.app with just a nickname, and choose how long it may sit quiet before it ends: 10 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours or 24 hours.
- Send the invite link to the people you want, in any app. Up to 8 people can be in a room; lock it once everyone's in.
- Talk, and share photos and videos straight into the chat. Mark one view once and each person can open it a single time: 60 seconds for a photo, 15 minutes for a video.
- Let it fade. Every message pushes the end back; once nobody has written for the time you chose, the room ends and disappears for everyone. As the creator you can also close it yourself at any time.
Rooms compared with your other messaging apps
| Sign-up | Whole chat ends by itself | Disappearing messages | End-to-end encrypted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp group | Phone number | No | Optional: 24 h, 7 or 90 days | Yes |
| Signal group | Phone number | No | Optional timer | Yes |
| Telegram secret chat | Phone number | No (and one-to-one only) | Optional self-destruct timer | Yes |
| Discord group DM | Account | No | No | No (text) |
| Furtiva room | None, just a nickname | Yes, once it's quiet for 10 min to 24 h | Optional: 1 h or 24 h | No |
The difference isn't encryption, it's what's left at the end. In the other apps the conversation stays in everyone's history until someone deletes it. In a room, the conversation itself has an end date, and nobody has to remember to clean up.
You're in charge of the room
- Lock it once everyone you invited is in, so the link stops letting new people join.
- Remove someone and the invite link resets: their old link stops working, and the people still in the room get the new one.
- Turn on disappearing messages (1 hour or 24 hours) so older messages and photos drop away even while the room is busy.
- Close the room for everyone, at any time.
- Delete your own photos and report anything that crosses a line, right from the message.
Frequently asked
Do I need an account to use a temporary chat room?
No. You pick a nickname that only exists inside that room. No email, no phone number and no app to install, although you can add Furtiva to your home screen so your rooms open in one tap.
How long does a room last?
As long as people keep talking. When you start it you choose how long it may sit quiet (10 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours or 24 hours); every message pushes the end back, and once it's quiet for that long it ends. The creator can also close it at any time.
How many people can join a room?
Up to 8, including you. The creator can lock the room once everyone is in and remove anyone, which also resets the invite link.
Can people screenshot the chat?
Yes. No website or app can truly stop a screenshot or a second phone. View once limits how long a photo or video can be seen, but only share with people you trust.
What happens to the photos and videos when the room ends?
They disappear for everyone in the room along with the messages.
Sources
- WhatsApp Help Center — disappearing messages and backups
- Signal Support — disappearing messages and linked devices
- Telegram FAQ — secret chats and self-destruct timers
- Discord Privacy Policy — how messages are stored
Related guides
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Disappearing & self-destructing photos
A disappearing or self-destructing photo deletes itself after viewing or on a timer. WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and Snapchat compared, and how to send one.
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Are deleted DMs deleted?
Deleting a message removes it from your view — not always from servers or backups. How each app handles delete, and what actually survives.
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One-time photo links
A one-time photo link opens once, then dies and the photo is deleted. How view-once links work, how they compare to WhatsApp view once, and how to make one.
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Snapchat screenshot alerts
Snapchat usually alerts you to a screenshot but not reliably to screen recording. What the alert covers, what it misses, replays, My Eyes Only and 'deleted'.
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Most private way to share photos
Compare WhatsApp, Instagram, cloud links and self-destructing private links. See which way to share a photo is truly private — and which leaves a copy.
Got something that shouldn't last? Start a private room: up to 8 people, no account, gone when it goes quiet, free. Just one photo? Send it as a private link instead.
Want a link that disappears on its own? Make a temporary photo link that expires when you choose, or a one-time photo link that can be viewed just once.