LONDON – Meta continues to expand privacy features in WhatsApp, with its latest development focusing on auto-delete messaging. The upcoming “After Reading” feature introduces disappearing chats like in SnapChat and in other apps that automatically removes messages shortly after they are opened.
The tech giant is reportedly working on a new privacy feature for sensitive information, and messages including media content will tvanish just minutes after they’re read.
The new update in coming in Android beta version 2.26.12.2, which is internally referred to as “After Reading”, and is still under development, but early code reveals strict and automated system designed to minimize how long messages remain visible.
Under this new mechanism, once a recipient opens a message, a 15-minute countdown begins immediately. When that timer runs out, the message is permanently deleted from both the sender’s and receiver’s chats. If the message is never opened, it doesn’t linger indefinitely either—it will automatically disappear after 24 hours, even without being viewed.
Users will have flexibility in how they use the feature, with options to enable it for individual chats or apply it across all conversations. This gives people granular control over where stricter privacy rules should apply.
One of the most notable aspects of the feature is that it operates independently of read receipts. Even if a user disables blue ticks, WhatsApp can still detect when a message has been opened and will trigger the deletion countdown regardless. This effectively closes a potential workaround and ensures the system cannot be easily bypassed.
The move shows upgrade compared to WhatsApp’s existing disappearing message options, which currently allow messages to vanish after 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. While useful, those durations can still leave sensitive content exposed for extended periods. WhatsApp also offers a “View Once” mode for media such as photos, videos, and voice notes, but that applies only to specific types of content and only allows a single viewing.
The “After Reading” feature appears to be aimed squarely at scenarios where users share highly sensitive information, such as one-time passwords, verification codes, addresses, or financial details, where even a 24-hour window may be too long.
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