WhatsApp tests Instants for disappearing photos and videos on Android

WhatsApp is building an Instagram-style camera

WhatsApp is developing a camera feature called Instants that lets people send photos and videos which disappear as soon as the recipient has seen them. According to WABetaInfo, the feature was spotted in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.45.13, which is available through the Google Play Store. The concept mirrors Instants on Instagram, which Meta launched on 13 May 2026.

The idea behind the feature is spontaneity. Users take a photo or clip in the moment and send it without editing. As on Instagram, gallery uploads are not allowed, so the content has to be captured with the in-app camera. This rules out third-party editing tools before sending.

WABetaInfo describes the feature as part of a wider effort to make the Chats tab the central place for everything users share with contacts. The feature is still in development and WhatsApp has not said when it will be released.

How Instants would work in the app

In a future update, WhatsApp plans to place a lightning bolt button at the top of the Chats tab. Tapping it opens the Instants camera, where users can capture and send ephemeral content to their contacts. Both photos and videos are supported, and video clips can run up to 30 seconds.

The interface is said to look much like the one on Instagram. Users can add a short caption before sending, and a row of filters sits at the bottom of the screen. The listed options are Original, Goof, Bulge, Nervous, Tears, Fisheye, Glitch, VHS, Fade and Prism. WABetaInfo notes that these filters may change before the official release, since the feature is not finished.

One detail stands out for privacy: WhatsApp is also building screenshot protection that blocks captures while a recipient views an Instant. Status updates do not offer this, which would make Instants a more private way to share content with several contacts.

Encryption and who can see an Instant

Photos and videos shared through Instants are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only the sender and the recipient can view them. WhatsApp itself cannot access the photo or the caption attached to it, according to WABetaInfo.

As with status updates, only mutual contacts can see the content. In practice, users can only send an Instant to someone who has their phone number saved in their address book. This limits the audience compared with public social sharing and keeps the feature within existing contact relationships.

Status updates move into the chat list

The report also revisits a separate change already announced for the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.17.1. Status updates now appear at the top of the Chats tab, shown in a horizontal row similar to how they looked in the Status tab before channels were introduced.

Users can open and watch these updates without leaving the chat list, so they no longer need to visit the Updates tab to notice new content. Together with Instants, this points to WhatsApp consolidating sharing features in one place rather than spreading them across separate tabs.

What this means for users

Instants would give WhatsApp users a way to share casual, unedited moments without worrying about a permanent record, since the content vanishes after viewing and screenshots are blocked. The feature follows a format Meta has already tested on Instagram, so the company is reusing a known concept inside its messaging app.

For now, nothing is confirmed for release. The feature exists only in development builds of the Android beta, and WhatsApp has not announced a launch date. Readers who want the feature should wait for an official announcement rather than expecting it in the current stable app.