Popular social networking site Facebook is reportedly experimenting with an option that will allow users to choose when their posts will be deleted, The Next Web reported.

In other words, once Facebook rolls out this new feature, users will be able to put an expiration date on their posts.

The new feature, which is still in its testing phase, was first noticed by habitual Facebook users who were checking their accounts using iOS devices. Upon seeing it, Jen Flitter took a screenshot of the "Choose Expiration" option and posted it on Twitter.

Based on the screenshot, the design of the new feature is fairly simple. It lets users choose how long their posts will stay on Facebook. Specifically, the duration ranges from one hour to seven days.

Depending on which time the user chooses, the post will disappear according to its expiration date. However, even though the post has been deleted from the user's profile, it still exists in Facebook's servers since it usually takes 90 days before it disappears from the offline backup logs.

Facebook confirmed that it is currently testing the expiration option for iOS devices. The company, however, did not mention when or if it will officially launch the feature for all users, according to Yahoo.

"We're running a small pilot of a feature on Facebook for iOS that lets people schedule deletion of their posts in advance," the company said.  

As for the practical application for the "Choose Expiration" feature, tech news site The Wire speculated that advertisers and online companies would probably benefit the most from it.

Since these organizations will be able to control when their posts will be deleted, it prevents old and outdated posts from clogging their followers' new feeds.

News of Facebook's expiration feature comes days after its rival Twitter announced a new option that will allow users to purchase items directly from Tweets.

Twitter's "Buy" button is available to those who use Android and iOS devices. For now, users can only buy items from a handful of artists and retailers. However, Twitter promised that its list of sellers will grow and the "Buy" feature will be available to a wider consumer base in the near future.