The feature allows WhatsApp users to send messages that disappear as soon as the recipient leaves the chat screen or finishes reading the message
WhatsApp has started testing a new feature that allows text messages to disappear immediately after they have been read by the other party, in a new step to enhance the level of privacy within conversations.
According to a report issued by WABetaInfo, the feature is currently available to a limited number of users of the trial version on Android and iOS devices,and will be rolled out to all users later.
The feature allows users to send messages that disappear after reading. The text is automatically deleted as soon as the recipient leaves the chat screen or finishes reading the message, without the possibility of retrieving it again.
This option can be enabled either within specific conversations or as the default for all new conversations.
WhatsApp already has a self-disappearing messaging feature, but it relies on timers, where messages can be set to be deleted after 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days.
The new feature is based on a completely different principle, as it is related to the actual reading of the message rather than the passage of time, with options to delete the message after 5 minutes, an hour, or 12 hours after it has been read.
The company also noted that unread messages will be automatically deleted after a maximum of 24 hours in all cases.
The move is part of a series of privacy-focused updates, with owner Meta developing a new feature set, including an “Incognito Chat” mode for conversations with artificial intelligence, as well as improvements to multitasking and cloud backup encryption.
