WhatsApp testing view-once text messages for iPhone

WhatsApp is testing a new privacy feature that lets users send text messages that disappear after a single read. The functionality, already available for photos, videos (since 2021) and voice notes (since 2023), is being trialed in the iOS beta via TestFlight, with the feature spotted in a build dated 15 June 2026. Users would long‑press the Send button, choose “Send as view once,” and the message would become inaccessible after the recipient opens it. The feature is expected to work in individual and group chats, but not in channels, and it blocks copying, forwarding, screenshots and screen recordings. WhatsApp is also developing a similar option for Android, and continues to refine its disappearing‑message system, including an “after‑reading” timer that starts only when the message is opened.