WhatsApp is reportedly working on a significant upgrade for its disappearing messages feature that may enable users to automatically delete a new message shortly after the recipient reads it.
As spotted by WABetaInfo, the upcoming feature "After reading" was found in the latest build of the app and could launch to the instant messaging app soon.
Currently, the Meta-owned WhatsApp enables users to turn on disappearing messages timers of 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days, suggesting that any messages sent to the recipient will immediately disappear within that time period that may be quite problematic while sharing sensitive information such as one time password (OTP), a verification code.
To address this issue, WhatsApp is likely to launch the “After Reading' option for a stricter timer to ensure that the message disappears immediately after the message has been seen by the recipient.
The upcoming feature will have a strict 15-minute countdown, which will automatically delete the message right after 15 minutes from both the sender and receiver's chat.
However, if it's left unread, the message will continue to be in the chat for 24 hours after which it will automatically expire and vanish.
Notably, users will have an option to turn on the feature on either a per chat basis or across all conversations.
Availability
WhatsApp’s new feature is currently under development and is not yet available to beta testers, with launch expected in a future update of the app.
