WhatsApp ‘Expiring Media’ Feature Spotted In Latest Beta Version

WhatsApp beta for Android with the version number 2.20.201.6 has been released. This new version shows the presence of a new feature dubbed Expiring Media. As the name suggests, this feature is likely to make media files disappear once they are viewed. Previously, this feature was spotted on the beta version 2.20.201.1.

WhatsApp Expiring Media Feature

The WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo shared the screenshots from version 2.20.201.6 beta showing that the messaging app will inform recipients about the feature via a pop-up message. This pop-up reads, "The media will disappear once you leave this chat". Notably, the message will appear when a media file has been shared via this new feature. It can be done by pressing the dedicated button next to the add media shortcut.

One of the shared screenshots shows that once the recipient exists a chat, the app will notify saying "View once photo expired". Also, there will be a button to enable the Expiring Media feature, which will activate the View Once media files.

When To Expect?

The latest beta version of WhatsApp 2.20.201.6 has references to this new Expiring Media feature and it is yet to be rolled out to all users. Given the progress that we have seen in the past, we can expect the new WhatsApp feature to be rolled out to the beta testers sometime soon. Also, the end-users are expected to get this feature after the successful beta testing though a specific time frame remains unknown.

For the uninitiated, the references to the Expiring Messaging feature was spotted clearly in the WhatsApp 2.20.197.10 beta for Android last month and this is yet to be rolled out to the beta testers. Already, Instagram lets users send a disappearing photo or video via direct messages. With a huge user base across the world, we can expect WhatsApp to take this experience of sending disappearing media files and messages to the next level.