WhatsApp users will soon be able to send self-destructing audio messages via the service, joining the existing text, photo and video options.
While users can currently tap the view once icon before sending text or imagery, audio messages currently endure within the chat unless the sender uses the ‘delete for everyone’ option, which strikes it from the record.
The expansion of the feature, spotted by the intrepid snoops at WABetaInfo, would be ideal if you’d like to whisper out some sensitive information and have it disappear into the online ether once heard by the intended recipient.
The update appears within the WhatsApp beta for Android (v2.23.7.8). The site describes the feature as “under development so it is not ready to be released to beta testers.”
It’s highly likely WhatsApp will incorporate this feature in a new version of the app and once rolled out, recipients won’t be able to forward or save the message for posterity or mischievous purposes.
So, if there’s just something you want to get off your chest – oooh, like an argument with your significant other for instance – and only a voice message to your sympathetic best pal will suffice, this sounds perfect.
Remember, when the feature does roll out, the person could always choose the screen recording feature to capture the contents of the message, or play it aloud in the first place, so you shouldn’t consider this cart blanche to go ranting and raving.
We’ll let you know when WhatsApp does roll this feature out to users, hopefully in the coming weeks. The company has been a lot better about hammering out the new features in recent times, so this one might be here sooner rather than later.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.