After gaining a ton of negative traction for its controversial privacy policy update, WhatsApp is now aiming to add a new security feature for its users. We saw the Facebook-owned company introduce self-destructing messages with a recent update. And now, WhatsApp is looking to add the same feature for photos very soon.
As per a recent report from WABetaInfo, a self-destructing photos feature is currently in-the-works. You can see this feature in action via the screenshots attached in the tweet below:
WhatsApp is working on self-destructing photos in a future update for iOS and Android.
• Self-destructing photos cannot be exported from WhatsApp.
• WhatsApp didn't implement a screenshot detection for self-destructing photos yet.Same concept from Instagram Direct. ⏱ pic.twitter.com/LLsezVL2Hj
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 3, 2021
Now, as per the report, the feature will work in a similar way as the self-destructing messages. Users will be able to set a timer, after which the shared image will automatically disappear from the chat window. The self-destructing image cannot be copied or imported from the chat window. Users, however, can take a screenshot of the image before disappears permanently.
Now, in the screenshots (attached below) showcasing the feature, you will see a timer icon on the left side of the text box while sending an image to a recipient.
If the user enables the self-destruct feature for photos before sending them to a contact, it shows a message – “This media will disappear, once you leave this chat.” Apart from this, there are currently no other details about the time period after which the media will disappear.
The feature, as per WABetaInfo, is currently under testing. It will arrive on Android and iOS in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more information.
