WhatsApp launches 'View Once' that deletes photos, videos once seen

While sharing photos or videos on WhatsApp has become such a big part of our lives, not everything we share on the app needs to become a permanent digital record.

On many phones, simply taking a photo means it will take up space in your camera roll forever.

WhatsApp is rolling out new View Once photos and videos that disappear from the chat after they’ve been opened, giving users even 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.

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.

More features:

Media will not be saved to the recipient’s photos or gallery.
Once you send a ‘view once’ photo or video, you won’t be able to view it again.

You can’t forward, save, star, or share photos or videos that were sent or received with ‘view once’ media enabled.

You can only see if a recipient has opened a view once photo or video if they have read receipts turned on.

If you don’t open the photo or video within 14 days of it being sent, the media will expire from the WhatsApp chat.

You must select view once media each time you want to send a view once photo or video.
WhatsApp View once media can be restored from backup if the message is unopened at the time of backup.

If the photo or video has already been opened, the media will not be included in the backup and can’t be restored.