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.
Spotted 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.
The 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."
The 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.
Disappearing 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.
Thursday August 13, 2026 2:10 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Following its username feature rollout, WhatsApp is now letting users save a contact's username when they add their name and phone number. The username field is shown between the first and last name fields and the phone number section.
You can add a new contact in WhatsApp by tapping the + button in the navigation bar of the Chats tab. According to WABetaInfo, when usernames become more widely ...
Monday September 7, 2026 5:01 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to unveil new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models on Wednesday, September 9, and the devices are expected to feature a design that's largely similar to the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a peppering of enhancements inside. Major changes are not expected until next year, when Apple is expected to introduce a radically redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone.
If you're thinking of...
Thursday September 3, 2026 9:22 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 17 Pro has double the base storage compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, there will apparently be no further increase this year.
Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today again reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models will start with 256GB of storage, like the iPhone 17 Pro models.
Minimum storage capacities by model:iPhone 16 Pro: 128GB
iPhone 17 Pro: 256GB
iPhone 18 Pro...
