WhatsApp may soon introduce a new privacy feature that will automatically delete messages shortly after they are read. The upcoming feature, called “After reading,” has been spotted in the latest Android beta version by feature tracker WABetaInfo. According to the report, the new tool will give users more control over their WhatsApp chats, making it a faster and more secure way to send sensitive messages.
The idea behind the feature is simple. Once enabled, a message will disappear automatically after the recipient reads it. According to the report, WhatsApp will start a 15-minute countdown after the message is opened, and once the timer ends, the message will be deleted from both the sender’s and receiver’s chats. If the message is not opened at all, it will stay available for up to 24 hours, after which it will expire automatically. The feature was found in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.12.2, but it is still under development and not yet available even for beta testers.
This new option will reportedly be useful for WhatsApp users who often share confidential information such as OTPs, passwords, addresses, or verification codes. Currently, messages on WhatsApp usually remain in the chat unless they are manually deleted or sent using disappearing messages. With the new auto-delete system, users may be able to send texts that remove themselves shortly after being seen, reducing the chances of private details staying in the chat history.
Meanwhile, WABetaInfo notes that the new “After reading” feature on WhatsApp will work even if read receipts are turned off. Normally, WhatsApp shows blue ticks when a message is read, but some users disable this setting for privacy. With the new system, WhatsApp will still be able to detect when a message is opened and will automatically start the 15-minute deletion timer. This means the feature will focus on privacy without depending on read-receipt settings.
Currently, WhatsApp already offers disappearing messages with timers of 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. These options are useful for regular conversations, but they are not always practical when information needs to disappear quickly. The new “After reading” option is likely to fill this gap by making messages vanish much faster, almost immediately after they are seen.
The feature also builds on WhatsApp’s existing View Once option, which allows photos, videos, and voice notes to be opened only once before disappearing. Reports suggest WhatsApp is still testing how the new timer will work and how it will be applied to chats, which is why the feature has not been released yet.
