Messages That Disappear After Being Read? WhatsApp Is Working on a New Privacy Feature

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published March 27, 2026

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WhatsApp is developing a new feature that could give users tighter control over private conversations, with messages disappearing automatically after they are read. The feature was spotted by WABetaInfo in the Android beta app, but it is still under development and has not been officially rolled out to the public or broadly to beta testers.

The idea builds on WhatsApp’s existing disappearing messages system, which is already available officially and allows users to set new messages to vanish after 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. WhatsApp has also already introduced view-once options for photos, videos, and voice messages, reflecting the platform’s broader push toward more temporary and private communication.

According to WABetaInfo’s early findings, the new option is labeled “After reading.” If enabled, a message would disappear from the sender’s phone 15 minutes after it is sent, and from the recipient’s phone 15 minutes after it is read. If the message is never opened, it would reportedly be deleted automatically after 24 hours. WABetaInfo also reported that the system may still work even when read receipts are turned off.

The feature could appeal especially to users sharing sensitive or short-lived information, such as private details, temporary instructions, or one-time codes. It would also fit with WhatsApp’s wider privacy strategy, which includes its Advanced Chat Privacy setting. That feature, introduced officially by WhatsApp, helps prevent chat exports, automatic media downloads, and the use of messages in certain AI-related features.

For now, though, there is no official launch date. So the feature should be treated as a developing tool rather than a confirmed public release, and its details could still change before WhatsApp makes it widely available.