In a move that could further strengthen user privacy, WhatsApp is reportedly developing a new feature for iPhone users that will allow text messages to be viewed only once before disappearing. The feature is expected to expand WhatsApp’s existing view-once functionality, which is currently available for photos, videos, and voice notes.
According to reports, the feature is being developed within the iOS version of the app and is not yet available to beta testers. It was reportedly spotted in WhatsApp beta for iOS version 26.24.10.16, although users enrolled in Apple’s TestFlight programme cannot access it at this stage.
The upcoming functionality is expected to let users send temporary text messages that become inaccessible immediately after being opened once. Reports suggest users may be able to activate the option by long-pressing the send button after typing a message. A new menu option, Send as view once, is expected to appear before the message is delivered.
The feature is likely to work in both individual and group chats. However, it is not expected to be available for channels.
Similar to WhatsApp’s existing view-once media controls, these messages may come with additional restrictions. Recipients could be prevented from copying, forwarding, sharing, screenshotting, or screen recording the content within the app, helping ensure that sensitive information remains private.
Currently, some users rely on view-once images containing text as a workaround for sending temporary written messages. The new feature would provide a dedicated and more convenient way to share disappearing text content.
If introduced, view-once text messages would become another addition to WhatsApp’s growing privacy-focused toolkit, which already includes end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, and view-once media features.
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