WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will give users the ability to set an image to self-destruct itself. Much similar to Snapchat, the Facebook-owned messaging app could soon add self-destructing photos in its future update. As per WABetaInfo, the work for this feature is ongoing and it may be rolled out soon for a wider audience through the stable build.
Recently, we saw WhatsApp under fire due to its privacy policy changes and many users have been reported to switch to alternatives like Signal and Telegram. However, it’s not clear how much of the user base of WhatsApp has quit the world’s biggest messaging platform. So, WhatsApp is trying to add new features in recent months to gain users’ trust, and it seems like self-destructing photos is also going to be one of them.
Self-destructing Photos for WhatsApp Chats
WhatsApp already has a feature called “disappearing messages” that automatically deletes sent messages from the chat after seven days. But, photos you receive through a WhatsApp chat are automatically added to your phone storage and appear in your device’s gallery. However, now, that’s changing and users will be able to set an image to delete after the recipient leaves that chat window. If you’re a Snapchat user then you must already be familiar with self-destructing images.
According to WABetaInfo, unlike Snapchat, WhatsApp won’t notify the original sender if the recipient takes a screenshot of the self-destructing image. In Snapchat, you receive a notification if someone happens to take a screenshot. But WhatsApp users can easily take a screenshot or screen record any image that is set to self-destruct by the user. So this makes it a fairly pointless addition or a faux protection feature to gain users’ trust and make them feel safer while using the app.
Currently, there is no word on when self-destructing photos will come to a stable WhatsApp build. Since it is currently being tested on the beta version of the app, we should get it soon in a near-future update.
