If you’ve been keeping up you’ve probably noticed WhatsApp’s continually evolving list of updates. It’s not slowing down either, with two new updates wending their way to the messenger over the coming weeks.
One, announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself, will allow users to keep two accounts running on a single device simultaneously, something we’ve been waiting for since the days of yore. The other – still stuck in beta – could turn your voice notes into self-destructing snippets (but only if you want them to).
Dr. Jekyll would’ve loved this one
Rather than lugging around two different phones to keep multiple chats on two accounts alive, you’ll soon be able to switch between two accounts on one device, without needing to log out either. That’s the plan anyway, according to the Zuck. It’s meant to be landing in a couple of weeks and will be available for Android, with no word on an iOS release.
It’s not as simple as creating a brand-new account, however. Meta notes that you’ll still need a separate phone number and SIM to assign the account and get everything going. That’s not a problem for most phones these days with multi-SIM devices and eSIMs breaking into the mainstream.
Once the update goes live, you can add a second account by opening Settings, clicking the arrow next to your name, and tapping “Add Account”.
It’ll send a one-time PIN to the second SIM when you’re setting things up. After the initial verification, WhatsApp will make do without the need for a second device or SIM, according to WhatsApp spokesperson Ellie Heatrick (via The Verge). Once both accounts are working side-by-side, each can have their own personal privacy settings to keep everything as separate as possible.
Read More: WhatsApp rolls out passkeys on Android devices
Voice notes go bye-bye
The next update might take more time to reach your device, as it’s still locked behind the WhatsApp for Android beta. It was first spotted by WABetaInfo in the Android 2.23.22.4 and iOS 23.21.1.73 update and will let users turn their voice notes into a ticking time bomb that’ll become unavailable after it has been listened to.
If you’ve ever used the ‘View Once’ feature for videos or images, it’s essentially the same idea. When recording a voice not with a lock, a new View Once button is available right above the send button. Hitting that will mean the message can only be listened to once, and can’t be saved, forwarded exported, or recorded natively. There’s nothing stopping the receiver from recording the message externally, but that’s a fight between you and your contacts.
There’s no telling when WhatsApp might roll out the update. We’re guessing it’ll be sooner rather than later, due to the feature’s readiness for both the Android and iOS beta programs – a rarity for features in their infancy.
