WhatsApp is developing Instants, a new camera feature that will let Android users share disappearing photos and videos with mutual contacts.
WhatsApp is developing a new feature called Instants that will allow users to share photos and videos that automatically disappear after being viewed, introducing an Instagram-style way to exchange spontaneous moments within the messaging platform.
The feature was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.45.13, according to WABetaInfo. However, it remains under development and is not yet available for beta testing.
Instants will allow users to capture photos and videos directly through WhatsApp and share them with mutual contacts without editing or uploading content from their phone’s gallery. Once a recipient views the shared media, it will automatically disappear.
According to the reported design, WhatsApp plans to introduce a lightning bolt button at the top of the Chats tab. Tapping the button will open the Instants camera, allowing users to capture and share content directly without navigating through multiple sections of the application.
The feature will also support video recording of up to 30 seconds, giving users another way to share short, spontaneous moments with their contacts.
Instants is expected to include several camera filters to customize photos and videos. The reported options include Original, Goof, Bulge, Nervous, Tears, Fisheye, Glitch, VHS, Fade and Prism. Users will also be able to add short captions to their photos before sharing them.
However, the available filters and other features could change before the official release.
Privacy protection is another key aspect of the upcoming feature. WhatsApp is developing a screenshot-blocking mechanism designed to prevent recipients from capturing shared content while viewing it. This would provide an additional privacy measure for users sharing temporary photos and videos.
The feature will also use end-to-end encryption to protect shared photos, videos and captions, meaning only the sender and recipient will be able to access the content. Sharing will reportedly be restricted to mutual contacts, allowing users to exchange Instants only with people who have saved their phone numbers in their address books.
The development follows Meta’s introduction of Instants on Instagram on May 13, 2026. The Instagram feature allows users to share unfiltered photos and videos with close friends or mutual followers, emphasizing spontaneous content rather than heavily edited posts.
WhatsApp now appears to be exploring a similar experience within its messaging platform, potentially giving users a dedicated way to exchange temporary visual content.
For now, Instants remains under development for WhatsApp on Android. The company has not announced an official release date, and it is unclear when the feature will become available to beta testers or general users.
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