WhatsApp rolled its “View Once” feature on Thursday, which deletes photos or videos from your chat after they’ve been opened by the recipient.
In a blog, WhatApp explained the functionality lets photo and video files be viewed once before they automatically disappear from chats, claiming this would boost user privacy.
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 disappearing photo, so it’s still the type of thing you’d only want to use for people you trust to not take a screenshot.
It stated files sent within the app remain fully encrypted. The feature is also touted as a way to save storage in user devices.
WhatsApp introduced a similar option applying to text messages in November 2020, which automatically deletes content a week after it was sent in a chat.
News Reports cited concerns from UK-based National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which claimed the photo feature could put children at higher risk by enabling evidence to be deleted.
