WhatsApp makes View Once feature for photos and videos available

Facebook will make the previously announced View Once mode available in WhatsApp starting this week. This function makes it possible to show a recipient a sent photo or video only once.

This one one-time display function is according to Facebook intended to provide users with better control over their privacy. The photos or videos disappear from the WhatsApp chat after being opened by the recipient and are not saved in the recipient’s photos app or gallery. To send a photo through the view once function, the user must select this option each time.

Pictures sent or received using the playback-once function cannot be saved or forwarded. Once a photo has been opened, it cannot be opened again; a text appears instead of the photo indicating that the image is already open.

Facebook says that this feature is not only available for privacy reasons. The company also points to scenarios where photos really only need to be viewed once, where it is not necessary or desirable to keep them longer. Such as passing on a password for a WiFi connection or a photo of trying on new clothes. In this sense, the new function also saves space.

The company behind WhatsApp advises users to only send photos or videos via one-time viewing to people the user trusts. This is because taking a photo of the one-time view or making a screenshot are still possible. A one-time sent photo must be viewed within 14 days, otherwise it will expire.