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  "path": "/2026/05/20/read-triggered-disappearing-messages-whatsapp/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-20T03:57:37.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.macrumors.com",
  "tags": [
    "WABetaInfo",
    "WhatsApp",
    "WhatsApp Tests Read-Triggered Disappearing Messages",
    "MacRumors.com",
    "Discuss this article"
  ],
  "textContent": "WhatsApp is getting a new setting for disappearing messages that causes them to vanish based on a countdown that starts only after they've been read.\n\n\nSpotted by _WaBetaInfo_ in the latest WhatsApp TestFlight beta, the new option starts a countdown after the recipient reads the message, rather than starting the countdown when the message is sent.\n\nThe countdown options with the \"After reading\" setting chosen include the usual \"5 minutes,\" \"1 hour,\" and \"12 hours.\" The setting appears in the \"Default messsage timer\" menu, so perhaps WhatsApp will find a different home for the option or (more likely) rename the settings page to something like \"Message timer options.\"\n\nThe new feature is said to be available to \"some\" beta testers on iOS and Android, but _WABetaInfo_ believes that some users on the public WhatsApp version on the App Store may have access to the option already.\n\n\nDisappearing messages can be set as the default behavior for all new chats on the end-to-end encrypted messaging platform, so this new After reading option will likely be a welcome addition for particularly privacy-conscious users, and it could also be a potential storage-saver for heavy users of the app.\n\nTags: WABetaInfo, WhatsApp\n\n\nThis article, \"WhatsApp Tests Read-Triggered Disappearing Messages\" first appeared on MacRumors.com\n\nDiscuss this article in our forums\n\n",
  "title": "WhatsApp Tests Read-Triggered Disappearing Messages"
}