WhatsApp rolls out 'View Once' feature for photos and videos

"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.

We’re rolling out the feature to everyone starting this week and are looking forward to feedback on this new way to send private and disappearing media," the company said in a blog post.

How it works:

• 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 the view once media is 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 chat.
• You must select view once media each time you want to send a view once photo or video.
• View once media can be restored from backup if the message is unopened at the time of back up. If the photo or video has already been opened, the media will not be included in the backup and can’t be restored.

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