WhatsApp already lets you send disappearing photos, videos, and voice notes, but the platform is finally bringing its ephemeral security tools to standard text messages. According to reports from WABetaInfo, Meta is actively testing a “view-once” text feature in its latest iOS and Android beta builds.
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As spotted in the iOS beta (version 26.24.10.16) on Apple’s TestFlight, the feature integrates directly into the standard chat UI. After composing a message, users will have the option to select a new “Send as view once” toggle.
Once sent, the message is locked down under strict privacy guardrails:
- Instant Vanishing Act: The recipient can open and read the message exactly once before it permanently disappears into the digital ether.
- Anti-Sharing Restrictions: The app completely disables the ability to copy, forward, or share the text string.
- Hardcoded Screenshot Blocking: To ensure the message remains strictly “eyes only,” WhatsApp automatically blocks screenshots and screen recordings on the recipient’s device.
While industry peers like Telegram, Snapchat, Messenger, and Instagram have offered disappearing text options for years, WhatsApp users have historically been left out in the cold.
Up until now, users looking to send sensitive, temporary text data had to rely on a clunky, multi-step workaround: typing a message, taking a screenshot of their own screen, and then sending that image file using the existing view-once media tool. This native update finally eliminates that friction.
Meta hasn’t announced an official public release date just yet. However, given that the feature is already active and undergoing testing in advanced TestFlight phases for iOS and pre-release builds for Android, a global rollout to the general public is expected to land in the near future.
