Disappearing WhatsApp messages roll out to iOS beta users

Eight months after launching self-destructing posts on Android, WhatsApp is rolling out the same feature to iOS beta users.

As reported by WABetaInfo, the "view once" function lets folks send photos and videos that disappear after their first screening. To find out if the feature is available to you, look for an explanatory pop-up next time you send an image or clip. Moving forward, users will also see a blue-and-white "1" icon in the caption text box.

New messages automatically disappear from your device, and also from a recipient's device once opened. What appears after the deletion occurs is text noting the content has been "Opened." Additional details—when it was delivered and seen—can be found via Message Info. The setting does not affect messages sent or received prior to activation.

As with any fleeting function, WhatsApp encourages people to proceed with caution. It's still possible to screenshot, copy, or take a photo of content before it disappears, so think twice before sending embarrassing photos, awkward sexts, and deciding to have sensitive discussions. The new feature is currently rolling out to iOS beta users, and there's no word on when (or if) it will be released to the general public. WhatsApp did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

When the Facebook-owned chat service launched its optional Android element in November, it offered a seven-day viewing window—after which posts will disappear, even if the recipient doesn't open WhatsApp during that period. Other notable caveats: text quoted in reply to a disappearing message could remain in the chat after one week, and messages will not disappear if forwarded to a conversation with the feature turned off. In one-to-one chats, either user can toggle the function on or off; in groups, admins have control.