Disappearing photos: how to send a photo that vanishes
Updated
A disappearing photo erases itself: after it’s been viewed, or after a set time. On waited, both are on by default: your photo opens only once, then it’s deleted automatically after 7 days (or 24 hours, or 30 days, your choice), from our servers and from your friend’s side.
View once or auto-delete: what’s the difference?
- View once limits how many times it opens: the photo opens once, then it can’t be seen again. On waited, the key that opens it is erased from our servers as soon as it’s opened.
- Auto-delete limits how long it lives: even if it’s never opened, the photo disappears after the time you chose.
The two go together. Without auto-delete, a photo that’s never opened would stick around forever; without view once, it could be viewed again and again until it’s deleted.
What really disappears
When a waited photo is deleted, it’s deleted everywhere: on our servers, on your friend’s side and on yours. Backups follow within an hour. And since it was never saved to the gallery (unless you allowed it), it didn’t end up in a phone backup either.
What doesn’t disappear: a picture of the screen taken with another device, or a photo you let your friend save. A reported photo may also be kept for as long as moderation needs.
Sending a disappearing photo with waited
- Take your photo with the big 📸 button.
- Choose how long your friend will wait before seeing it, or ⚡ instant.
- Keep the defaults: view once, screenshots blocked, deleted after 7 days. For a shorter life, pick 24 hours in your sending preferences or in the conversation.
- Send. You have 2 minutes to cancel, and you can delete the photo at any time once it’s been seen.
And where does the wait come in?
On waited, a disappearing photo has to be earned: your friend has to wait before they can open it, or take on your challenges to unlock it sooner. A photo you wait for, see once, then it’s gone: that’s the whole idea. Need ideas? 30 challenges to send your friends.
Frequently asked questions
Can a disappearing photo be screenshotted?
On waited, screenshots and screen recordings are blocked by default while it’s on screen; if the phone still reports a screenshot, you get told. No app can stop someone from photographing the screen with another device.
How long does a photo stay on waited?
7 days by default, or 24 hours or 30 days, your choice. If the wait before it opens is longer, the photo stays until a day after it unlocks.
Can you see a disappearing photo again?
Not with view once, the default. You can let your friends view your photos again in the app, for everyone or for a single conversation.
Can a deleted photo be recovered?
No. A deleted photo also disappears from our backups within an hour, and all we ever had was an encrypted, unreadable version.
Want to try it?
waited is free, on iPhone and Android.