WhatsApp's new feature significantly impacts communication privacy

The popular messaging app has rolled out an intriguing update sharing similarities with Snapchat's disappearing messages. This function is projected to enhance privacy standards on the platform considerably. Most notably, the new feature involves voice messages that automatically delete after being played.

As it's already recognized in the realm of internet messengers and applications, the concept of sending photos, videos, or messages that vanish after being viewed isn't novel. Snapchat gained popularity through this very functionality, and now WhatsApp is implementing a similar approach with voice messages. Trying this feature is quite simple – you just need to start recording and select the one-off message option.

Despite some competitors' criticism (such as those by Telegram's creators) about Meta's user data collection through WhatsApp, the app keeps enhancing its privacy-safeguarding features. We recently reported on the introduction of "Chat Lock", which effectively bars access to our more private conversations without the proper authentication. Additionally, Meta has introduced a feature allowing users to conceal their profile picture and status from individuals not on their contact list.

Regular communication encryption remains a standard for messages, but it doesn't safeguard conversations from someone who might gain direct access to our phones. We can use the one-time message option to avoid archiving the voice message and ensure that no unauthorized person gains access to it. The process of sending this is demonstrated in an instructional post published by WhatsApp on Platform X.

Upon playing the message, it's deleted, and a prompt appears indicating that such a message was sent and cannot be retrieved. The introduction of this new feature should significantly enhance users' comfort while using WhatsApp.