WhatsApp, the popular messaging app, has officially unveiled its new feature ‘View Ones’. Initially available only on iPhone and iOS devices. This is a feature that recipients can only see once. Once the photos and videos are received, they will appear and then disappear. However, there are no restrictions on taking a screenshot. The Views Once the feature is expected to be available in the Android version of WhatsApp soon. I have been testing the WhatsApp View Once feature for a few months.
However, despite this feature, there are no restrictions on taking screenshots of messages. The ‘View Once’ feature was first available in India on version 2.21.150 of WhatsApp. After receiving the ‘View Once’ feature, tapping the new ‘1’ icon next to the caption bar will enable the photo or video to disappear before being sent to your contacts. Photos and videos shared with the ‘View Ones’ feature will no longer appear in the chat they sent when the recipient leaves the Media Viewer. The message content will not be stored in the recipient’s gallery. This message cannot be passed on to others through the app. Additionally, a photo or video sent with this feature will disappear from the chat if it does not open within 14 days.
However, recipients can still take screenshots of ‘View Once’ photos or copy videos using apps. Therefore, WhatsApp users are being told that only trusted individuals can send photos and videos with the new feature. WhatsApp has been testing this feature since September 2020. By the end of June, beta testing for Android and iOS devices had begun.