CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is moving to make private conversations even more fleeting. The Meta-owned messaging platform is developing a feature that will allow users to send text messages that vanish after being opened once, extending its view-once controls beyond photos, videos and voice notes.
The move builds on WhatsApp’s existing privacy tools. In an earlier beta update, version 2.23.21.15, the company introduced view-once support for voice notes, allowing users to share audio messages that disappear after being heard. Such messages cannot be forwarded or recorded.
WhatsApp had previously explored bringing the capability to text messages but shelved the idea, choosing instead to focus on photos, videos and voice notes. The latest beta suggests the plan is back on the table.
The feature, spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.22.7, will let users send ephemeral text messages directly within chats. Recipients will be able to open the message only once, after which it will become inaccessible.
Once the feature arrives, users will be able to activate it by long-pressing the send button after typing a message. A drop-down menu will offer a “Send as view once” option, enabling the text to self-destruct after a single read.
WhatsApp intends to apply the same safeguards used for other view-once content. Recipients will not be able to copy, forward or share the message, while screenshots and screen recordings will also be blocked. Users could still capture the content using a second device, but the company aims to curb as many in-app workarounds as possible.
For now, users seeking similar functionality often send text embedded in images using the existing view-once feature. Native support for disappearing text messages is expected to eliminate that workaround.
The feature remains under development and is not yet available to beta testers. WhatsApp has not disclosed a release timeline, though the capability is expected to debut in a future beta build before making its way to the stable app.
