WhatsApp Introduces Another New Feature

WhatsApp continues to introduce new features to enhance user experience and privacy. The platform is reportedly working on a new privacy feature called “After Reading,” which automatically deletes messages shortly after they are read. Unlike manual deletion, this feature activates a 15-minute timer once the recipient opens the message. After the timer ends, the message disappears from both the sender’s and receiver’s chat history, ensuring better data protection.

If the recipient does not open the message, it remains available for up to 24 hours before being automatically deleted. This feature is expected to be particularly useful for sharing sensitive information such as OTPs, bank passwords, addresses, and verification codes. Even if read receipts (blue ticks) are disabled, the timer will still begin once the message is opened. Unlike the existing disappearing messages feature, which deletes messages after 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days regardless of reading status, the “After Reading” feature focuses specifically on post-read deletion. The official release date has not yet been announced, as the feature is currently under development.