Since last month, the messaging service WhatsApp has been trialling its View-Once disappearing messages feature on Android, and recent reports indicate that the same test is now underway on iOS devices.
The discovery was made by the team at WABetaInfo, who identified the feature in beta build 26.19.10.72 of WhatsApp for iOS.
Users can activate the option through the “After reading” setting located under Default message timer > Message timer. On iOS, the sender may choose a countdown of five minutes, one hour or two hours; once the recipient reads the message, it will vanish after the selected period. If the message is never opened, it is removed automatically after 24 hours.
For the sender, the message disappears from their own device as soon as the chosen interval expires. For instance, a message sent at 10:00 am with a five-minute “After reading” timer will be deleted from the sender’s phone at 10:05 am. If the recipient reads it at 10:10 am, it will then disappear from their device at 10:15 am. Should the recipient never open the message, it will be erased from their phone at 10:00 am the following day.
WABetaInfo notes that the functionality is currently available to a limited number of iOS beta testers, but the company has not confirmed when it will roll out to the wider Android and iOS user base.
