WhatsApp's new disappearing message feature rolling out this month may not be entirely secure, experts say.

When the new option is enabled, messages will automatically delete after 7 days. It’s an attempt to emulate similar self-destructing message capabilities in apps like Signal or Snapchat. But experts say: Don’t think that means your private notes are necessarily gone for good.

"You shouldn't rely on Disappearing Messages being private," said Matt Boddy, CTO and co-founder of Traced Mobile Security, in an email interview. "Yes, it can add a level of privacy to your messages, but they're certainly not completely private. For example, the recipient could take a screenshot, make a copy, or forward the message before it disappears."

"Additionally, media from WhatsApp messages is saved to a user's phone by default, including that of a disappearing message. Every user should change this setting to stop auto-downloading from WhatsApp."