A new WhatsApp update was introduced on August 3, the feature in its iOS and Android applications that allows users to send photos and videos that disappear after opening.
Read on to find out more about this long-awaited new option.
See once, new WhatsApp update
“View once,” as the name suggests, deletes content immediately after the other person has viewed it, similar to what Snapchat and even Instagram do.
As the Facebook-owned company describes in a blog post, users sometimes want to share sensitive content that shouldn't be recorded permanently. With View Once, they can ensure that media disappears forever after it's been opened.
know-see-once-the-new-whatsapp-update
Facebook says the new feature is a step toward giving users “even more control over their privacy,” something Mark Zuckerberg declared as a new “privacy-focused vision” for the company back in 2019. Facebook has made some moves to let people control their online privacy since then, streamlining audience controls in its main app and enabling disappearing messages in WhatsApp.
The company has also been talking about a big project about bringing en philippine whatsapp number -to-end encryption to its entire stable of messaging services, which it plans to make interoperable in the future. WhatsApp enabled end-to-end encryption by default in 2016, but for Messenger and Instagram, the distinctive privacy measure could still be years away.
Send self-destructing photos and videos via WhatsApp
WhatsApp has a lot of features in its name. Features include but are not limited to WhatsApp Web, group video calling, live location sharing, and more. WhatsApp View Once is a great addition to the feature set.
It’s a great privacy feature to protect sensitive information like a Wi-Fi password, for example, or photos or videos that you want the recipient to see only once. To use this feature, simply tap the “1” button to the left of the send button when sending a photo or video in a chat.
All media sent through WhatsApp's View Once feature is protected with end-to-end encryption. This means that WhatsApp cannot see what is being shared.
The recipient will see it as a disappearing photo when they receive it and it will automatically be deleted once they have viewed it. For now there is nothing stopping them from taking a screenshot or recording your phone with another device.
Video player
00:00
00:39
Information about single display
Media files will not be saved to the recipient's Photos or Gallery sections.
Once you submit a one-time view photo or video, you will not be able to view it again.
You can't forward, save, star, or share photos or videos that were sent or received with the single view option turned on.
You can only see if the recipient opened a single-view photo or video if they have read receipts enabled.
If you don't open the photo or video within 14 days of it being sent to you, the file will disappear from the chat.
You must select the single view media file each time you want to send a single view photo or video.
Single-view media files can be restored from a backup if the message has not been opened at the time the backup was created. If the photo or video has already been opened, it will not be included in the backup and cannot be restored.
Note:
Only send photos or videos with single view enabled to people you trust, as recipients can:
Take a screenshot or recording of the screen where the media file is displayed before it disappears without notifying you
Take a photo or video of the media file with a camera or other device before it disappears
Encrypted media files may be stored for a few weeks on WhatsApp servers after you send them.
If a recipient wants to report the single-view media file, that file will be sent to WhatsApp.
Conclusions
This new WhatsApp update offers a step closer to the privacy that Facebook users have been asking for. But keep in mind that WhatsApp allows anyone to take a screenshot or make a screen recording before they disappear. Also, the person will not receive a notification if someone takes a screenshot or a screen recording.
WhatsApp also warns that you can even take a photo or video of the media with a camera or other device before it disappears. The company says that “encrypted media may be stored for a few weeks on WhatsApp servers after you send it.”