WhatsApp’s disappearing messages are a bit of a mixed bag in the feature’s current form. They are toggled on or off on a per-chat basis or globally, with the options being 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. According to WABetaInfo (who else?), the Meta-owned messenger is hard at work on an update that’ll make it a bit more palatable.
WhatsApp’s disappearing act
As spotted within the WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.19.10.72 update, WhatsApp will allow users to auto-delete messages right after they’ve been read. This is similar to the app’s ‘View-Once’ format, which only allows select images and videos to be seen once before closing itself off for the rest of time. Still, there’s some flexibility here.
If a user makes use of the new ‘After reading’ option, they can still decide how long the message will stick around once read. WhatsApp will only offer three such choices: 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 12 hours. Don’t like it? You’ll have to make do with the default timer, which deletes messages regardless of whether they’ve been read or not.
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To increase privacy, the message will always auto-delete on the original device after the allotted time. The message will survive on the recipient’s phone, however, until they open the chat — after which the hidden timer begins. WABetaInfo notes that if they don’t read the message in 24 hours, they will still self-delete.
The feature is currently still in beta, meaning there’s no telling when it’ll land on your device. The fact that it’s already reaching a few beta testers is a good sign that it’ll be along shortly, however. Of course, its existence in beta format doesn’t guarantee a wider release. We wouldn’t worry. This feels like a slam dunk for the messenger.
