WhatsApp makes View Once function for photos and video available

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

This one-time viewing feature is intended to give users better control over their privacy, according to Facebook. The photos or videos will disappear from the WhatsApp chat after being opened by the recipient and will not be saved in the recipient’s photo app or gallery. To send a photo via the one-time view function, the user must select this option every time.

Photos sent or received using the One-Time Playback function cannot be saved or forwarded. Once opened, a photo cannot be opened again; a text will appear instead of the photo indicating that the image is already open.

Facebook says this feature will not only be 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 for 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 recommends that users only send photos or videos via one-time view to people the user trusts. This is because taking a photo of the one-time display or taking a screenshot is still possible. A one-time sent photo must be viewed within 14 days, otherwise it will expire.

source: https://about.fb.com/news/2021/08/view-once-photos-and-videos-on-whatsapp/