WhatsApp rolled out ‘View Once’ that features disappearing photos and videos

Pic Credit: WhatsApp

WhatsApp continues to add new features to the app on a regular basis in order to stay ahead of the competition. This leads to users having access to very useful chatting functionalities. These new WhatsApp chat features may provide new functionality, improve user privacy, or change the interface. Last month, the app began testing its planned multi-device feature with a small group of beta users, as well as end-to-end encrypted backups for a limited time. All users of the app will now have access to a new ‘View Once' feature for disappearing photos and videos.

WhatsApp was beta testing the new View Once feature for images on Android, as we previously reported. WhatsApp's disappearing photos feature has finally been implemented in the stable version of the app. The feature works in the same way that Instagram's expiring media feature works. When you use this function to share a photo, it will disappear once the recipient opens it and exits the conversation. However, each time you wish to send a view once photo or video, you must select View Once media.

WhatsApp has confirmed that any photo or video sent with the 'View Once' feature will not be saved in the recipient's Photos or Gallery. WhatsApp won't be able to show a View Once photo or video again once you've sent it. You won't be able to forward, save, star, or share images or videos sent or received with the View Once media feature in the messaging app. If you have read receipts enabled, you can only see if a recipient has opened a View Once photo or video.

Facebook outlined the reasons behind the new feature in a blog post published on Tuesday. While the company claims that the feature is designed to improve user privacy by automatically deleting messages after a set length of time, there is another reason why WhatsApp implemented this option: to keep your phone neat.

To send a View Once photo or video to someone on WhatsApp, use the app's camera to quickly take a photo or video, then tap the (1) icon to send the media which you just captured as View Once media. You won't be able to tap to open the image once it's been sent, and the receiver will only be able to see it once.

When will the View Once feature be available on WhatsApp? According to WhatsApp, the feature will be available to all users this week, so if you haven't received it yet, it'll only be a matter of time.