WhatsApp is rolling out a view-once text feature for Android beta testers, allowing users to send messages that vanish immediately after the recipient reads them.
Antara News NTT reported on Friday, November 13, 2026, that the privacy tool arrived in version 2.26.45.6 of the Android beta. The update expands a capability previously reserved for photos, videos, and voice notes to written text.
To send a disappearing text, users type their message, press and hold the send button, and select the View Once option, according to reporting by detikInet. The recipient must tap a separate interface to read the message, and it cannot be opened a second time after it is closed.
The system blocks screenshots, screen recordings, copying, forwarding, and saving while the message is open. If read receipts are turned on, the app marks the message as opened so the sender knows it was read.
Alongside disappearing texts, WhatsApp is developing a contextual chat preview feature for Android that lets users read incoming messages without opening the main chat window. KompasTekno reported that the capability surfaced in beta version 2.26.44.11.
Users can access the preview by tapping and holding a conversation in their chat list, bringing up a thumbnail window with recent messages. Unlike the iPhone version, the Android preview supports scrolling through previous messages without triggering the blue double-check read receipts.
The preview window also includes management tools to select, pin, archive, mark as read, or delete chats. Additional options let users mute notifications, lock chats, or add shortcuts to the home screen.
WhatsApp includes several built-in methods for handling conversations discreetly on mobile devices. Users can search for specific contacts and scroll through previews directly from the search bar to inspect messages without opening the chat, as noted by Tribunnews.
The application also allows users to start a conversation by typing a phone number directly into the search bar without saving it as a contact first. Tabs for unread messages and custom categories help organize busy inboxes.
WhatsApp has not announced a public release date for the view-once text feature. It is currently limited to selected beta testers on Android.
No, the app blocks screenshots and screen recordings while a view-once text message is open. The text also cannot be copied, forwarded, or saved.
No, reading messages through the contextual chat preview does not trigger read receipts. The sender’s chat will not show blue checkmarks until the recipient opens the full chat window.
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