WhatsApp Android, iOS App Could Soon Get Disappearing Media Feature

WhatsApp is reportedly working on some new features including disappearing photos for both iOS and Android. The popular instant messaging app owned by Facebook has a feature for disappearing messages, but disappearing photos will extend its use, and is popular on other platforms including Instagram, which is also owned by Facebook. WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo that spotted the disappearing photos feature said that it could be added to the app in a future update. It also shared screenshots that show how the feature would work.

WABetaInfo shared through a tweet that WhatsApp is working on a self-destructing photos feature for iOS and Android. The screenshots in the tweet show a new option next to ‘Add a caption' text box — that appears before you send an attached media file — on the WhatsApp app, clicking on which will make the media disappear once you leave that particular chat. WABetaInfo points out users could be able to take screenshots of the self-destructing photos as a feature to detect them has not been added. WhatsApp's parent company Facebook isn't new to this concept as it already allows users to send a disappearing photo or video on Instagram.

WhatsApp introduced disappearing messages on the platform for Android, iOS, and Linux-based KaiOS devices in November last year. The feature on WhatsApp is also different from how it works on Telegram. While Telegram lets users decide the duration before the messages disappear in a chat, messages sent to a chat on WhatsApp will disappear after seven days. Snapchat, on the other hand, deletes Snaps after they've been opened, deletes unopened Snaps sent to a group chat in 24 hours, and all other unopened Snaps in 30 days. 

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly cited an older report and contained incorrect information about a WhatsApp for iPad app. This has been corrected to remove the incorrect information.

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