WhatsApp automatically rolls out disappearing photos and videos widely: this is how it works

WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature that makes it possible to view a photo or video only once. Users were previously presented with this feature in a beta version, but now it is coming to everyone.

WhatsApp with ‘View Once’

A new feature called ‘View Once’ makes its debut on Android. WhatsApp previously came to the beta version of the messaging service with View Once, and now the service has announced that it will be rolled out to everyone. After a photo or video is opened with View Once, it will be removed from the chat if it has been viewed. Users should have more control over their privacy in this way, the company says.

WhatsApp says that, as with the rest of the messages, the View Once media is protected by end-to-end encryption. Content that you can only view once is also marked with the view once icon. When a message has been viewed, it will be marked as ‘viewed’ in the chat to avoid confusion in the chat. However, it is always possible for the recipient to make a screenshot of what is being sent.

Rollout

Good to know is that the functionality not only works on Android and iOS, but also in WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop. There is a good chance that you will already encounter the function there in the application. According to WhatsApp, the feature will be rolled out to everyone starting this week.