Over the last two years, WhatsApp has added many valuable features to enhance the user’s privacy. One such new feature is “View once,” which causes photos & videos to disappear instantly in the chat after the receiver opens them. Let’s understand more about “View once” & how you can you use it to send one time photo on whatsapp on Android or iPhone.
What is WhatsApp view once feature?
WhatsApp’s ‘View Once’ feature lets all its users send one time photo & video, which vanish from the chat inbox once the recipient opens them & exits the “media viewer” mode. To use the “View once” feature, you must have the latest version of WhatsApp. The Media doesn’t save to the recipient’s Gallery & chatbox.
WhatsApp demonstrated the usefulness of this feature by sending an image having Wi-Fi login details. WhatsApp removes the “View once” media from its servers after a few weeks. You cannot see the “view once” media after sending it. WhatsApp doesn’t allow the senders & recipients to save, share, forward, or starmark the photos & videos enabled with the “View once” feature.
You can know whether the recipient has opened your sent media only if they have turned on their “Read receipts” Setting. If the recipient doesn’t open the media within 2 weeks of sending, it will expire from his chatbox. This feature isn’t available on WhatsApp web & desktops.
How to Send One Time Photo & Video on Whatsapp with View Once
You can access it from the Chat inbox of individual contacts & groups. Follow the below steps to send view once photos & videos on different devices. Let’s find out how to send one time photo on whatsapp.
On Android.
- Open the WhatsApp app.
- Open the chat of a contact or group.
- Tap on the “attachment” icon.
- You can capture a photo or video using your camera. You can select any media from your Gallery. The Videos size limit is 16GB on WhatsApp.
- After selecting the media, tap the “circle icon with 1 inside it.” It’s next to the add a caption option. This icon will turn into a blue color icon.
- Send the message.
- Once the recipient views it, you’ll see “Opened” written over the media.
On iPhone.
- Open the WhatsApp app.
- Open the chat of a contact or group.
- Tap on the “+” Attachment icon.
- Tap on “Camera” to capture a new photo or video.
- Tap on “Photo & Video Library” to pick any media from your iPhone’s Albums.
- Tap the “circle icon with 1 inside it.” It’s next to the add a caption option. This icon will turn into a blue color icon.
- Send the message.
Can you screenshot WhatsApp view once?
You cannot take a screenshot of WhatsApp “view once” photos & videos. To protect your messages & maintain your privacy, WhatsApp uses a screenshot-blocking feature. For this to work, You must have the latest version of WhatsApp.
If you have the outdated version, you may still take a screenshot. WhatsApp has cleared that this is temporary as it’s working to introduce a screenshot detection feature. You can save the media using other ways. You can capture the photo or make a video of the “View once” media with another’s camera.
What happens if someone screenshots your View Once photo?
If someone screenshots your View Once photo, WhatsApp stops them by displaying a warning message “Cannot take screenshot due to security policy.” For this, the recipient must have a new version of WhatsApp. You won’t receive any notification from WhatsApp if the recipient attempts to capture a screenshot or do a screen recording.
How do I turn off view once on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp doesn’t have any option to turn off the view once feature. You must tap on the “View once” icon every time to access this feature. Don’t use it if you don’t want to send the photo or video for one time watch.
Update: WhatsApp’s ‘View Once’ feature might expand to include text message
The “View once” feature only applies to photos & videos. As per the WABetainfo article, WhatsApp may introduce a “View once text” feature for text messages. This feature is currently in the development phase in WhatsApp’s Android app ( beta version ).
Like the “View Once” feature, this new functionality can become valuable for sending confidential & sensitive information like passwords or payment details. No official statement has been released from WhatsApp officials about this upcoming feature.
