WhatsApp has begun rolling out its “View Once” feature today. This new feature will delete photos or videos from your chat after they’ve been opened by the recipient. There is will be no record kept by the receiver.
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When sending a photo or video, you can make it view once by tapping the “1” button to the left of the send button. After the recipient opens it, it’ll be deleted. The recipient will be able to see that it’s a vanishing photo, so it’s still the type of thing you’d only want to use for people you trust to not take a screenshot.
Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the feature would be coming last month, though details about when it would release were scarce. According to WaBetaInfo, the feature has been in beta for about a month.
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As an example of how the feature could be used, WhatsApp uses the example of sending a photo of sensitive information, like a Wi-Fi password. Of course, there are perhaps other less wholesome uses for this kind of feature. But either way, it’s useful to have an option between the app’s disappearing messages, which currently only go away after a week, and your chat’s permanent record.
WhatsApp is not the first service to roll out vanishing videos and photos, this feature has been popular on other platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.
