The popular messaging app is working on a feature called “After reading.” Once you turn it on, any message you send will vanish from your own chat 15 minutes after you hit send. On the other person’s phone, the message will disappear 15 minutes after they actually open and read it.
If the receiver never opens the message, it will still delete itself automatically after 24 hours.
This is a big step up from the current disappearing message timers that only offer 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days. WhatsApp had already been testing shorter timers from 1 to 12 hours. Now they are going even further with this instant “After reading” setting.
You will be able to switch it on for just one chat or make it the default setting for all your conversations. A leaked screenshot from the beta version clearly shows the new “After reading” option.
The feature is still in testing stage and has not been rolled out to regular users yet. It is expected to arrive in one of the upcoming updates.
People who like to keep their chats private will probably welcome this change. It gives more control and peace of mind, especially when sharing something sensitive that you don’t want hanging around forever.
For now, everyone will have to wait a little longer until WhatsApp finishes testing and pushes the update to all phones.
