Image credit – WABetaInfo
WhatsApp disappearing messages have been around for a while, but they’ve always had one annoying flaw. Set a timer, and the clock starts the moment you hit send. Not when the other person actually reads it. If they’re slow to open the app, the message could be gone before they ever see it.
WhatsApp is now testing a fix for that. According to WABetaInfo, the latest iOS beta (version 26.19.10.72, available through TestFlight) adds a new “After reading” option for WhatsApp disappearing messages. The countdown doesn’t start until the recipient actually opens the message. Your sensitive info sticks around until they read it, then vanishes on a timer you control.
How the New Timer Works
Right now, WhatsApp offers three disappearing message timers: 24 hours, 7 days, and 90 days. The new “After reading” option sits alongside those with three shorter durations: 5 minutes, 1 hour, or 12 hours. Once the recipient reads the message, that countdown kicks in automatically.
If someone never opens the message, WhatsApp will still delete it after 24 hours. The feature is also per-chat, so you can turn it on for specific conversations without applying it everywhere. It’s off by default, so nothing changes in your existing chats unless you enable it manually.
WhatsApp hasn’t set an official release date yet, but WABetaInfo says a wider beta rollout is expected in the coming weeks. WhatsApp has been adding privacy tools steadily, including Advanced Chat Privacy and an update that blocks media from auto-saving in protected chats. The new WhatsApp disappearing messages timer fits right into that pattern.
