You can prevent a public chat from disappearing by changing its automatic deletion settings.

Default setting for public chats

Important: All public chats are configured by default with "Delete by inactivity" set to 24 hours.

What this means:

  1. Initial setup: When you start or receive a public chat, it automatically has the option to be deleted after 24 hours of inactivity enabled.
  2. Persists after reply: This setting continues to apply even after you reply to the chat.
  3. Requires manual action: If you want to keep the chat permanently, you must manually disable this option.
How to disable automatic deletion:

If you want to keep a public chat beyond 24 hours:

  1. Open the public chat.
  2. Tap the purple name at the top.
  3. Tap the Settings icon.
  4. Select Disappearing Messages.
  5. Change the setting from "24 hours" to "Off".
  6. Confirm the changes.

Reminder: If you don't change this setting, the chat will be automatically deleted after 24 hours without new messages, even if you initially replied.