Following the example of popular social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat, Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp has launched a new feature for Android and iOS users that deletes media files after they have been seen once.
‘View Once,’ as with many new WhatsApp features after its disastrous privacy policy revisions, is centred on the privacy angle.
WhatsApp shared a video demonstrating how to utilise the ‘View Once’ function in a tweet announcing the feature.
New feature alert!
You can now send photos and videos that disappear after they’ve been opened via View Once on WhatsApp, giving you more control over your chats privacy! pic.twitter.com/Ig5BWbX1Ow
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) August 3, 2021
When sending a photo or video, the sender must hit the “1” button beside the Send button before sending the image/video to make the material disappear after it has been watched once by the user.
After the recipient has viewed the media, it will be erased.
WhatsApp maintains that ‘View Once’ media is encrypted end-to-end and that it is unable to access it. Furthermore, such media files will not be saved to the Gallery of the receiver. They will also be unable to forward, save, star, or share such content.