WhatsApp View Once feature: How does it work for Android users

Also read: WhatsApp to get multiple device support soon, Mark Zuckerberg confirms

What is View Once

‘View Once’ is a feature where a user can send a video or image that can only be viewed once by the recipient. The feature was made popular by applications such as Snapchat, which had a core feature where media shared via posts got deleted after a certain period of time.

How does View Once work

The easiest way to detect if your device has got the new feature is a small view once button next to where the message is previewed.

Once the image or video has been shared using this mode, the other person will have one chance to view it. The user who sends the message can also see the status of the message if it has been delivered, seen and opened.

The new View Once feature can also work in groups. Media shared with this feature can be viewed once by each member of the group. The sender can find out who opened the media by clicking on Message Info.

Blocked contacts can still interact with the user within groups. Hence they will also be able to view media sent under view once.

Since the new feature is still in beta, WhatsApp View Once has some flaws. For instance, the recipient can still take a screenshot of the media and WhatsApp will not notify the sender because there is no screenshot detection on the app yet.

WABetaInfo, a website that tracks WhatsApp features, claimed that the new feature is rolling out beta users for Android 2.21.14.3 version. Beta users who are on this version and still don’t see the feature may receive it in a future update. According to the report, iOS Beta users will soon get the feature as well.