WhatsApp instant messaging service has started testing a new feature that deletes text messages sent by users after reading them, similar to View once text feature that the service currently provides for photos and videos.
In WhatsApp’s effort to give users more privacy, it provided them with a View once text feature that enables them to send photos and videos that disappear from WhatsApp chat after the recipient opens them once.
WhatsApp is testing the one-time display feature for texts in the latest beta version of the service application on the Android system.
It is believed that the View once text feature for texts will be useful, as it is for images and videos because it guarantees users that no one will keep their messages containing sensitive information after it has served the purpose.
The View once text feature for photos and videos prevents the media from being saved to the recipient’s gallery or gallery section, and after viewing, the recipient will not be able to view it again, forward it, save it, star it, or share it.
The sender can see if the recipient has opened the one-time video or photo if they have read indicators enabled, and if the photo or video is not opened within 14 days of sending it, the media in the chat will expire.
As for texts, it should be noted that WhatsApp provides a feature that allows deleting all text messages that are sent in the chat after a period of time, but what distinguishes the feature that the company is working on is selecting a specific text for viewing once and deleting instead of the entire chat.
WhatsApp will provide access to the new feature through a button in the application that bears the traditional send logo with a lock, and because the feature is still under development, WhatsApp may choose to change that when the feature is officially launched.
It is also indicated that WhatsApp protects photos and videos by prohibiting taking a picture of the phone screen for privacy reasons, and it is not known whether the service will apply this policy to text messages.
Those wishing to try out the new features can sign up for the WhatsApp beta program on Android, and the latest beta version of the app can also be downloaded and installed manually from here. You can also sign up for the iOS beta program here.
