WhatsApp Could Soon Make Chats Disappear Right After Reading

WhatsApp may soon make private conversations feel even more temporary, the Meta-owned platform is reportedly testing a new disappearing messages feature that could automatically delete chats once the recipient reads them, adding another layer of privacy to the popular messaging platform. According to a report by WABetaInfo, the feature was spotted in WhatsApp beta for iOS version 26.19.10.72 through Apple’s TestFlight programme. Right now, it appears to be limited to select beta testers, but a wider rollout could happen in the coming weeks.WhatsApp Wants Messages To Feel More TemporaryThe messaging platform already offers disappearing messages that erase chats after fixed durations like 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. But this upcoming update

changes how the timer works entirely.Instead of counting down immediately after sending a message, the new “After reading” option reportedly waits until the recipient actually opens the message.In simpler terms, the clock only starts once the other person sees it.That means users may soon be able to send messages designed to exist for only a brief moment after being read, something that feels much closer to how temporary conversations work in real life.How The Feature Could WorkAs per the WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp is testing multiple timer options. Users may reportedly get to choose whether the message disappears after 5 minutes, 1 hour, or even 12 hours after being read. Interestingly, the countdown behaves differently for both sides of the chat.For the sender, the message disappears based on the timer selected right after sending it. But on the recipient’s device, the message stays visible until they open it.So if you send a message with a five-minute timer and the other person reads it two hours later, the deletion countdown only begins at that point.And if the recipient never opens the message at all, WhatsApp is said to automatically remove it after 24 hours by default.The feature is reportedly optional and may work on a per-chat basis instead of applying globally across the entire app. That gives users more flexibility to enable it only for sensitive conversations rather than every chat.For now though, there’s no official timeline for when the feature will leave beta testing and arrive for stable users on Android or iPhone.