WhatsApp Rolls Out ‘View Once’ Feature With Disappearing Photos & Videos

Encrypted messaging service WhatsApp now lets you send disappearing photos and videos with its ‘View Once’ Feature. The feature is similar to Snapchat which only allow recipients to view photos and videos just once after opening before they disappear from the chat.

WhatsApp started rolling out its ‘View Once’ Feature to iPhone users through a new version on Tuesday. However, shortly thereafter, the company announced a rollout for all users, including the ones on Android.

The View Once Feature has been under development for a long time and allows users to share photos and videos to disappear from the chat after they are viewed once by the recipient. However, it is pertinent to mention that users can still safe the media content by taking screenshots or using the phone’s screen recording feature.

If you have received the latest update of the encrypted messenger (version 2.21.150), you can use the ‘View Once’ Feature to send disappearing photos and videos by tapping on the new ‘1’ icon that appears next to the caption bar.

The photos and videos that are shared using the WhatsApp ‘View Once’ Feature will no longer be available in the chat where they were sent once the recipient opens the media viewer. After the media has been viewed, the message will appear as “opened” to avoid any confusion about what was happening in the chat at the time.

The new feature gives users more control over their privacy. For example, you might send a View Once photo of some new clothes you’re trying on at a store, a quick reaction to a moment in time, or something sensitive like a Wi-Fi password.

As with all the personal messages you send on WhatsApp, View Once media is protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot see them. They will also be clearly marked with a new “one-time” icon.

Read more: Telegram Group Video Call Feature Now Supports 1,000 Users.

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