WhatsApp introduces 'View Once' feature where image, video disappears after viewing

‘View Once’ is a feature where a user can send a video or image and that media can only be viewed once by the recipient. According to a report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out the view once feature to WhatsApp beta 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.

The report also shares some screenshots of the new feature which gives us a glimpse at how it will 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.

Despite the limitation of viewing the media once, the recipient can still take screenshot of the media and WhatsApp will not notify the sender because there is no screenshot detection on the app yet.

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.

According to WABetaInfo, since blocked contacts can still interact with the user within groups, they will also be able to view media sent under view once.

In case of this new feature, even if the recipient does not have it, they can view the image and video once before it disappears. However, they will need to get the feature in order to send images and media under ‘View Once’.